Hamas Calls for Swift Release; Israel Still Calls it Oct 7
Hamas, Al-Monitor dutifully reports, is calling for a 'swift start' to a prisoner exchange, with talks resuming in Egypt. Meanwhile, Israeli officials, particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu, consistently frame every discussion through the lens of 'destroying Hamas' and 'never forgetting October 7th,' conveniently sidestepping the uncomfortable reality of thousands of Palestinian political
prisoners, many held without charge, detained pre-October 7th. This reframing allows for endless delays while Gaza starves. This isn't a new script. Netanyahu has historically used such 'negotiations' to gain time and consolidate power. One might wonder if the U.S. State Department, which recently approved $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel —billions more than what goes to, say, America's own
childcare programs—is truly pushing for an equitable exchange or merely green-lighting protracted conflict. How many more 'opportunities for peace' will be squandered under the guise of an 'existential threat' while the civilian death toll climbs?