(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Egypt proposed 3-phase cease-fire to Hamas delegation (& PIJ) in Cairo... [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-26 From Ha’aretz email 24 December 2023: The third phase will involve talks with Israel for a comprehensive cease-fire to include the release of all Israeli hostages and Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza. In the second phase, a new technocratic government will oversee Gaza's rehabilitation and prepare it for elections. The cease-fire would begin with a two-week truce to include the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, mainly women, children and adults who are elderly or sick, in exchange for 120 Palestinian prisoners and substantial humanitarian aid, including fuel. Wik... [Technocracy] follows in the tradition of other meritocracy theories… where the ablest are in charge, ostensibly without the influence of special interest groups. [5] Critics have suggested that a "technocratic divide" challenges more participatory models of democracy [of members] of the public aiming to contribute to government decision making". [6] The term technocracy [signifies] the application of the scientific method to solving social problems, in its most extreme form … an entire government running as a technical or engineering problem and is mostly hypothetical . In more practical use, technocracy is any portion of a bureaucracy run by technologists . A government [of] elected officials [appointing] experts and professionals to administer individual government functions, and recommend legislation, can be considered technocratic. [3] [4] This system explicitly contrasts with representative democracy , [in which] elected representatives [are] the primary decision-makers in government, [1] though it does not necessarily imply eliminating elected representatives... Technocracy is a form of oligarchy government [of] decision-makers selected on the basis of expertise in given areas of responsibility [rather than personal charisma, social networking, political affiliations, parliamentary skills, or popularity], particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge [on] specific issues, who presumably best understand both the problems at hand and how … redresses can improve the society at large … and assumes full state control over political and economic issues. Technocracy bills itself as pragmatic, dispassionate and rational, free of the strife of political parties and factions as it pursues its optimal ends. ____________________________________________________________ Related: Al-Monitor - 21 December 2023 Can Turkey's Erdogan [facilitate] Hamas-Fatah reconciliation? Erdogan described the rival groups as being like “flesh and bone,” ...He added, however, that the involvement of Egypt, Qatar and Jordan — the former two with solid ties to Hamas, the latter influential with the PLO — would be essential... [The Gaza war forwards Palestinian reconciliation, Mehmet Rakipoglu, Istanbul-based Middle East expert at Dimensions for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor … A merger could both give Hamas a certain legitimacy and] also push back against those who ask, 'If Palestinians are defending their homeland, why are they divided among themselves?'” Erdogan ... is one of only a few regional leaders [maintaining] ties with both Hamas and Fatah leaders. In Ankara in July, [he] hosted a rare meeting [between] Ismail Haniyeh , Hamas’ political leader, and Mahmoud Abbas , Fatah chairman and Palestinian Authority president… ...[Past similar talks] have failed [on several issues] including recognition of agreements signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organization … and Israel. ...[This follows] after senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk last week said in Doha that [it’s] seeking to join the Palestine Liberation Organization , the internationally recognized [secular] representative of the Palestinian people [in which Fatah holds majority]. The major Palestinian factions, with the exception of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, [are members]. ...“[Hamas and Fatah] are in talks, and it is possible ,,, to take these talks further … I believe that there are many things that we, as Turkey, have done and can do on this issue,” [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] was quoted as telling reporters on his return from Hungary, according to an official transcript released on Tuesday…. ___________________________________________________________ From Al-Monitor email 23 December: Arab and Islamic states pressing for a cease-fire have so far refrained from an “or else” conditionality in their campaign, emphasizing instead the dire humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as negotiations continue for sustained humanitarian pauses and another round of hostage exchanges. The conditionality, however, appears to be being applied, by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular, to the "day after" discussions. The UAE announced last week that its support for financing Gaza reconstruction will depend on a road map to a two-state solution. That road map is being drafted in white papers and refined primarily among US, Palestinian, Saudi and other officials. The crux of the proposal is that a Palestinian state, under PA authority, needs to be up front, not the result of an indefinite process. [Management] of Gaza’s civilian affairs [might] be handed over to the local Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee [as a tacit] workaround ...but only in the short run, given the scope of the post-war conversations taking place. Devil in the details While Israel will likely want to see reforms as a precursor to a Palestinian State, the PA, backed by Saudi Arabia, is pressing for a more up-front commitment to recognition, including the prospect of a major Madrid II-type conference. Saudi backing for the PA [for years] has been a lifeline for President Mahmoud Abbas. The war has only deepened the PA’s unpopularity with most Palestinians, while giving a boost to Hamas, including in the West Bank, as the face of Palestinian resistance. Abbas knows that his authority hangs by a thread. The PA will want to avoid having statehood conditioned by reforms, including a new leadership, that will require Israeli approval, which could be drawn out indefinitely — as would be Netanyahu’s preference. The PA position is that elections and reforms should follow the establishment of the state. Discussions of a new PA leadership — under Marwan Barghouti, Hussein al-Sheikh or others — [to] flow from elections after [establishment of the state. [A role for Hamas would] require its accepting the PLO charter, which includes recognition of Israel. That the US [the EU] and Israel have declared no role for Hamas in post-conflict Gaza complicates [matters]. The PA and its advocates want to avoid a one-way street approach, and for Israel to [abide by] its commitments enshrined in the February 2023 Aqaba Agreement, to pay monies owed and [other past agreements[. ... day-after talks and discussions are vital and gaining traction by the week [despite an "on the fly" feel given the urgency of the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, among the most grave in the world]. As before Oct. 7, the success of any of these plans will ultimately depend on two parties: the Israelis and the Palestinians... ...Hamas may have won elections in Gaza back in 2006, but its staying power is rooted in the politics of despair and resistance. The toll of the Israel-Hamas war has only deepened that despair. The urgency and scale of the post-war planning will need to be commensurate to the challenge. Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis in its attack on Oct. 7. More than 100 Israeli and international hostages are still being held in Gaza. The death toll among Palestinians in Gaza has now reached over 20,000, more than half women and children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Eighty-five percent of the enclave’s 2.2 million people are displaced, and relief agencies are warning of famine and disease. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/26/2213743/-Egypt-proposed-3-phase-cease-fire-to-Hamas-delegation-amp-PIJ-in-Cairo?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/