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Mossad accuses Hamas of seeking escalation amidst Ramadan negotiations


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2024-03-10T06:30:22+00:00

Shafaq News / The Israeli Mossad announced that its director, David Barnea, met with CIA Director William Burns in Amman as part of efforts to reach an agreement in Gaza, accusing Hamas of seeking escalation during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a rare statement published by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the Mossad stated that “Hamas prefers to escalate violence during Ramadan rather than reaching a deal,” adding that David Barnea met last Friday with CIA Director William Burns in the Jordanian capital, Amman, as part of mediator efforts to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement and hostage release.

The Mossad stated: “At this stage, Hamas is fortifying its position, seemingly uninterested in a deal, and is actively seeking to inflame the region during Ramadan at the expense of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” adding that “discussions and cooperation with mediators are ongoing to bridge the gaps and advance agreements.”

According to the Times of Israel, the statement came as American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators seek a six-week ceasefire in the five-month-long war in Gaza ahead of Ramadan. These efforts have been ongoing for weeks based on a framework agreed upon in Paris last month.

The newspaper noted that “the Paris framework, which Hamas has rejected so far, calls for the release of 40 Israeli hostages, including children, women, the elderly, and the sick in the first stage lasting six weeks, in exchange for about 400 Palestinian security prisoners, with the possibility of negotiating other prisoner releases.”

Israel insists that any ceasefire must be temporary and its goal remains the eradication of Hamas and the release of all hostages, while Hamas says it will release the hostages it has held since October 7 only as part of a deal to end the war.

The newspaper reported that “Israel did not send a delegation to the last round of ceasefire talks in Cairo after Hamas refused to provide a list of the names of living hostages, and a Hamas delegation left Thursday after expressing frustration with Israeli positions, heading to Qatar to consult with the movement’s leadership.”

Meanwhile, Channel 12 quoted a senior Israeli source close to the negotiations on Saturday as saying that Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, “believes that the more his people suffer in Gaza, the more pressure there is on Israel, and the better the conditions he will get,” adding: “In negotiations…an agreement requires two parties, and now the other party does not want an agreement,” in reference to Hamas.

Israel and Hamas have exchanged accusations of failing to reach an agreement, with mediators hoping to reach a deal by the beginning of Ramadan, but it seems unlikely.

In this context, US President Joe Biden ruled out last Friday the possibility of reaching a temporary ceasefire in Gaza by the beginning of Ramadan.

Biden told reporters in response to a question about the possibility of reaching a temporary ceasefire to end the five-month-long war by the beginning of Ramadan that “it seems difficult.”


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@mikenov: Intelligence Officials Testify on Global Threats Before Senate Cmte.



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Intelligence Community Leaders Testify on Global Threats


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March 8, 2023

“In brief, the CCP represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership gl…


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Joe Biden suddenly leads Donald Trump in multiple polls


President Joe Biden is beating his Republican rival, Donald Trump, in multiple polls as the presidential election campaign begins in earnest.

A rematch between Trump, the former president, and Biden has been all but confirmed in the general election after former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley last week dropped out of the GOP primary, leaving Trump without opponents.

Since then, a series of polls have suggested Biden will narrowly beat Trump in the November vote. But with eight months to go, and the polls so tight, this could change and a number of polls have also indicated that Trump will win the election.

Newsweek contacted Biden’s campaign and a representative for Trump by email to comment on this story.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden and former president Donald Trump are both campaigning in Georgia today ahead of the Primary election…
Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden and former president Donald Trump are both campaigning in Georgia today ahead of the Primary election voting taking place on Tuesday. The Democrat is outperforming the Republican in a series of polls. Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images

One poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed Biden leading Trump 47 percent to 44 percent. There were 1,072 registered voters surveyed between February 20 and 28 in this poll.

Another poll of 1,350 registered voters by Emerson College put Biden ahead of the Republican by two percentage points, 51 percent to 49 percent. The survey was carried out between March 5 and 6.

Of the 6,334 registered voters surveyed by Morning Consult between March 1 and 5, 44 percent would vote for Biden and 43 percent for Trump.

And Biden would beat Trump 43 percent to 42 percent, according to TIPP polling.

Writing in his Substack blog Hopium Chronicles, founder of the Democrat supporting New Democrat Network think tank, Simon Rosenberg said he was “optimistic” about the Democrats winning the election.

“A central reason I’ve been so optimistic about us winning in November is that I always believed that when it became clear to voters that it was Biden vs Trump, and the Biden campaign began in earnest, a big chunk of our wandering coalition would come home,” he said. “Biden would then gain 3-4 points and open up a small but meaningful lead in national polling. It’s possible that is what we we’re seeing now.”

However, in other polls, Trump is projected to beat Biden. A March 2 poll of 1,115 likely voters by Redfield & Wilton Strategies gave Trump a four-point lead over Biden, 43 percent to 39 percent.

A March 3 to 5 poll of 1,450 registered voters by YouGov forecasts Trump to garner 44 percent of the vote share to Biden’s 42 percent.

Speaking to Newsweek, Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York, said: “I wouldn’t invest too much in any given poll or even a handful of polls. Both campaigns know this race is just about tied right now, will likely remain that way for a while, and are executing their strategies accordingly.”

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.


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@mikenov: Russia – NATO War



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Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) / Twitter

@mikenov: RT @visegrad24: Czech President Petr Pavel says there is nothing that could legally stop NATO from sending soldiers to Ukraine: “NATO troo…



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@mikenov: RT @POTUS: To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be. At my State of…



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@mikenov: RT @igorsushko: There is absolutely no doubt Putin has kompromat on the Pope and the Vatican. This is Kremlin blackmail talking. Not diffic…



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@mikenov: RT @SvobodaRadio: Миллиардер Олег Тиньков заявил о прекращении своих благотворительных проектов в России в связи с тем, что был объявлен та…