Just yesterday, we were discussing the latest in a long series of rejections of ceasefire deals by Hamas. The terror group's fundamental demands haven't changed, nor have the strategic objectives of Israel. Both sides were full of public praise for the three-phase ceasefire plan being pushed by Joe Biden, but that praise always came with conditions. Then, last night, headlines started showing like this one in Newsweek declaring that Hamas says it accepts Biden's ceasefire deal. If true, that would have been huge news indeed and it would represent a significant shift in Hamas' strategy. But you need to read a bit deeper into the article before you find the inevitable caveat that always seems to show up. Hamas agreed to Biden's proposal, but not to any "new" conditions being imposed by Israel. Of course, those conditions are not "new." It's what Israel has been saying since these talks began. So in other words, there is still no agreement and Hamas is still trying to buy time.

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Hamas has agreed to the ceasefire proposal presented by the United States, but remains opposed to what the group argues are "new conditions" added by Israel, according to a statement shared with Newsweek.

The statement, attributed to senior Hamas official and spokesperson Basem Naim, recounted the Islamic Palestinian movement's initial positive reaction to a three-phase plan first outlined by President Joe Biden on May 31. However, Naim argued Israel instead sought to double down on its 10-month war effort in Gaza and impose new demands, leading to another potential impasse in talks that U.S. officials claimed saw a breakthrough earlier on Monday.

The conflict began with a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, that Israeli officials estimate left about 1,200 people dead and around 240 more taken hostage, around half of whom are believed to remain in captivity.

It's virtually impossible to get a straight answer out of Hamas for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are a terrorist group and they lie constantly to try to gain an upper hand in international political circles. They've never made any sort of truce deal with Israel that they didn't turn around and violate almost immediately. Complicating matters further is the reality that many of these announcements come from "senior Hamas officials" and spokespersons such as Basem Naim, who released last night's statement. These alleged spokespersons hang out in places like Qatar and Iran, conducting diplomatic communications with foreign interests without being in touch with the Hamas militant groups on the ground in Gaza. Even if we struck a deal with Naim, it is highly unlikely that the Hamas hardliners in the Strip would honor it.

The reality here is that the legacy media is simply desperate to declare the negotiations a success and hand Joe Biden a win as a sort of going-away present. Every time some supposed Hamas official like Basem Naim says anything that remotely resembles some sort of concession, the press sits up on its hind legs wagging its tail and tossing confetti. Then, when reality begins to sink in yet again, we're back to a fresh series of headlines describing "productive meetings" and "closing in on a deal" for another news cycle.

Look, I'm not opposed to a ceasefire deal if a fair one can be worked out. Peace is almost always preferable to war, provided it is a just peace with a chance of lasting. In the case of the Gaza Strip, however, it is far from clear that any sort of just, lasting peace will ever be possible. The underlying goals of the two sides are completely at odds with one another and they have been for generations. Israel seeks the permanent elimination of Hamas to remove the threat they pose, preferring to see them replaced with something more closely resembling the Palestinian Authority. Hamas demands the destruction of the state of Israel and the death or removal of all the Jews "from the river to the sea." There obviously isn't much in the way of a "middle ground" between those positions.

I would also like to briefly make it clear that I'm not faulting Joe Biden and his staff for failing to present a ceasefire agreement that would stick and sort the whole situation out. It was a daunting if not impossible task from the beginning, but let's give him credit for trying. Unfortunately, some broken things in this world simply aren't fixable. The situation in the Gaza Strip likely falls into that category. In any event, this situation will continue playing out for the foreseeable future and we'll be here bringing you our best efforts at breaking it all down and figuring out what it means. If you'd like to get even more content like this, Salem is running a special 60% off deal right now on VIP memberships. Just use the code "SAVEAMERICA" when signing up and save yourself a bit of cash. Thanks for considering.