The needle is stuck.

Despite concerted efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to end the protracted war in the Gaza Strip and gain the release of the remaining Israeli hostages by means of a new ceasefire, the negotiations have failed and the status quo prevails.

Which is another way of saying that Israel and Hamas are still locked in combat after 22 months of warfare punctuated by two brief ceasefires, while the estimated 20 living hostages still languish in purgatory, much to the horror and anguish of their relatives and friends.

The impasse prevails because Israel’s and Hamas’ objectives are are completely at odds and therefore incompatible.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks total victory —  the destruction of Hamas’ military capabilities, Hamas’ removal from power, and the return of all the hostages. At the same time, he insists that Israel should retain full security control of Gaza, a euphemism for an extended Israeli military occupation.

Hamas is just as adamant in terms of its demands. It insists on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent end to the war so that it can regroup, survive and maintain its longstanding grip on Gaza, and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Until now, Israel preferred partial rather than long-term truce deals. This pragmatic arrangement enabled Israel to free batches of hostages incrementally and continue the war. This worked to Netanyahu’s advantage because it mollified his extreme right-wing partners, the Religious Zionist Party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the Jewish Power Party, headed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. They have threatened to leave Netanyahu’s coalition if the war ends prematurely and Hamas is left standing.

The collapse of his government would have real consequences. He........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)