As reports continue to surface regarding the proposal of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian resistance factions, new evidence has surfaced to indicate that the deal was actually hatched in Washington, the terms drafted by Israel, and initiated by former British PM Tony Blair.According to Israeli daily Haaretz, Mr. Blair, coordinating with US Secretary of State John Kerry, initiated the recently disputed ceasefire offer on Saturday, when he met with the US-backed Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Cairo, to persuade him in backing the proposal.
Tony Blair is also Special Envoy to the ‘Middle East Quartet’, an international deputation designated with the task of mediating peace in the Middle East.
During the discussion, the politician reportedly urged the Egyptian leader to become more actively involved in promoting a cease-fire, says Haaretz, according to diplomatic sources.
That afternoon, Blair travelled to Israel to meet with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has continued to insist and channel mass media which suggests that Israel’s current assault on Gaza has been a response to terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas.
Netanyahu, who just following the recently failed US-brokered peace talks was, in fact, quoted to scoff at the very idea of peace with Palestinians, spoke to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Saturday in a telephone call which, according to Haaretz, has been kept secret until now.
Award-winning British journalist Jonathan Cook notes, from Nazareth, the section of the Haaretz article which states:
‘Senior Israeli officials and Western diplomats said the reason the Egyptian cease-fire initiative was so short-lived is that it was prepared hastily and was not coordinated with all the relevant parties, particularly Hamas.’
Hamas previously stated that they had no official stance on the deal, as it hadn’t been officially presented to them. Parties from both Islamic Jihad and Hamas proceeded to offer a collective list of demands which, when met, would serve as a prelude to peace.
See: Hamas: No Official Stance on Egyptian Initiative
Mr. Cook suggests that the intention was either to corner the resistance into surrendering, and continue to submit to the ongoing saga of crippling economic and politcal siege in the region, or to simply force them to reject the deal, thereby confirming the recurring Israeli narrative that Hamas is a terrorist organization with which Israel cannot make peace.
If the facts are on the table, where are the guests?
And who is telling the story?
The so-called ‘Egpytian-brokered ceasefire deal’ is not the only item on the bloody menu to be scrutinized in recent days.
Prize-winning Israeli defense and aerospace engineering expert Dr. Moti Shefer stated, during a recent interview with Radio 103, that the infamous Israeli ‘Iron Dome’ missile system was one of the biggest bluffs that he’d ever seen: http://www.imemc.org/article/68475
According to Press TV, the United States and Israel have recently signed an agreement under which $429 million of American taxpayers’ money “will be transferred immediately to Israel” to further fund the Iron Dome.
Related: U.S. Military Aid and the Israel/Palestine Conflict
The Staggering Cost of Israel
to Americans
At the time of this report, Israel officials and those of Palestinian political faction Hamas have agreed to temporarily halt its assault on Gaza after UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, called for a ‘humanitarian ceasefire’.
See: Israel, Hamas Agree to Temporary UN Ceasfire Request
