U.S. officials accuse Israeli government representatives of not only opposing a separate negotiation track between Washington and Hamas. Photo: ABC News
Washington, March 12 (RHC)-- U.S. have officials accused Israel of trying to obstruct negotiations between Washington and the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas in the Qatari capital, aimed at securing the release of the Israeli-American hostages in the Gaza Strip.
According to Ronen Bergman, an intelligence analyst for the Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth, US sources claimed that the Israeli government was not informed in advance about the latest round of negotiations, as a result of its obstruction of last week's talks.
The Israeli media outlet's report indicated that U.S. officials accuse Israeli government representatives not only of opposing a separate negotiation track between Washington and Hamas, but also of fearing future agreements for the Gaza Strip without Tel Aviv acting as the intermediary to transmit information to the U.S. administration.
Israeli officials have opposed direct meetings between U.S. representatives and Hamas leaders, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported. However, the decision to engage in direct negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas stems from concerns that the prisoner exchange talks are currently at a standstill.
According to reports, the U.S. delegates were briefed on Israel's plans to launch a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment. Such information raised fears in the U.S. that the resumption of hostilities would pose an immediate and grave risk to the remaining hostages, prompting Washington to seek the urgent release of the American captives separately.
Israeli authorities reportedly rejected attempts to prioritize negotiations based on the U.S. citizenship of certain captives. Consequently, Washington opted for a direct, urgent, and secretive approach in negotiations with the Palestinian resistance.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that tensions and leaks between the Washington and Tel Aviv could deepen divisions between the U.S. administration and Israel if an agreement is reached in Qatar.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
