Ibiza negotiations.. Will they succeed in ending the massacre?

Dr. Hussein Al-Daik: Washington seeks to achieve a political breakthrough that could be credited to Trump and possibly open the way for him to run for the Nobel Peace Prize if he manages to end the war

Dr. Dalia Arikat: Previous rounds of negotiations confirm that any dialogue that does not address the roots of the conflict or establish a clear framework for ending the occupation remains prone to failure

Nabhan Khreisha: The Ibiza negotiations reflect that attempts to stop the war have not yet ended despite the field escalation and the decision to proceed with the complete occupation of the sector

Dr. Raed Al-Dab'i: The chances of achieving a real breakthrough in the round of negotiations between Witkoff and the Qatari Prime Minister seem weak in light of Netanyahu's insistence on war

Dr. Irini Said: Repeating the same methods and tools previously used in negotiations will likely lead to the same results

 Sari Samour: Israel is proceeding with its plans on the ground and will not back down even if agreements are reached, and it will violate any understanding as it has done before

In an atmosphere of anticipation, the Spanish island of Ibiza witnessed a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the Qatari Prime Minister, in an attempt to break the deadlock surrounding the negotiations regarding Gaza, amidst the potential revival of negotiations and the end of the massacre in the Gaza Strip.

Writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors, in separate conversations with "Y," indicate that the meeting came in light of the Israeli cabinet's decision to proceed with a plan to occupy the city of Gaza or control it and displace its residents, linking the implementation of this plan to Hamas's acceptance of Israeli conditions. In return, the movement announced its readiness to release all prisoners and detainees at once, provided that the war stops and the occupation army withdraws to its position before October 7, 2023.

While writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors considered that the meeting might open a new negotiation track that would bring the Israeli delegation back to Doha to resume talks, or it could end in failure as in the past, others believe that it may not go beyond surveying positions or tactical pressure to force "Hamas" to make concessions. Despite the American moves that some are trying to market as a political breakthrough, writers, analysts, specialists, and university professors warn that Israel is still proceeding with its field plans, and that the hesitant American, European, and Arab positions give it additional space for military action.

Critical and Sensitive Timing

Writer and political analyst Dr. Hussein Al-Daik believes that the meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the Qatari Prime Minister in Ibiza comes at a critical and sensitive time, as a joint attempt between Washington and Doha to break the deadlock that dominates the negotiation track regarding Gaza.

This meeting, according to Al-Daik, follows Witkoff's own announcement of the failure of previous negotiations and placing the blame on Hamas, after the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to occupy the city of Gaza or control it and displace its residents.

Al-Daik believes that this plan, announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, is conditional on Hamas's retreat and acceptance of Israeli conditions, and it will be frozen if that happens.

Al-Daik points out that intensive communications took place at the highest levels between Cairo, Doha, and Washington, leading to the Ibiza meeting, aimed at pulling the rug out from under the Israeli government and preventing the implementation of its military plan. In return, Hamas announced its readiness to release all prisoners and detainees at once, provided that the war stops completely and the Israeli army withdraws to its position before October 7, 2023.

Possible Scenarios

According to Al-Daik, the possible scenarios after this meeting include: launching a new negotiation track, with the Israeli delegation returning to Doha and starting negotiations through technical committees, which may later lead to an agreement, or it may end in failure as it did in the previous round.

According to Al-Daik, the second scenario is an attempt to survey positions, i.e., to find out whether "Hamas" has changed its positions or not, and whether Israel should proceed with its plan or if there is room for mutual concessions.

The third scenario, according to Al-Daik, is Israeli tactical pressure, where Netanyahu may