Stephen Hoadley: international relations expert on Donald Trump calling for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire

It's unclear if a 60-day Gaza ceasefire is as achievable as Donald Trump's suggesting. 

The US President is claiming Israel's agreed to the necessary conditions for a deal - and Qatar and Egypt will deliver it to Hamas.

But internationals relations expert Stephen Hoadley says there's no word yet from Israeli or Hamas spokespeople.

He says the fundamental clash remains - no matter what Trump says.

"Hamas want Israel out of Gaza and Israel is not inclined to leave Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and all the hostages are returned."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon. Donald Trump says Israel has agreed to a sixty
day cease fire deal in Gaza and has warned Hamas
to take this deal as well because it will only
get worse. Israel and Hamasa yet to confirm this publicly.
International relations expert Stephen Hodley is back of this high Stephen.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Oh, good evening. Hello, Nice to be talking to you again.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's lovely to talk to you again. Do you think
that he is forcing them into a c spire by
doing this?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Absolutely? Donald Trump wants to put himself in the middle
of it, take credit for the whole thing. It's bizarre.
If you go on to the internet, you find Trump
says everything. I've seen nothing from Nataniahu yet or from
Hamas spokespeople. So this is very much a proformative initiative
by Trump himself.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Will it work because it worked? This is how he
played it out with Iran and Israel, didn't it and
it actually.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Worked well, I'm not sure sure because the major issues
still remain. Hamas want Israel out of Gaza, and Israel
is not inclined to leave Gaza until Hamas is disarmed
and all the hostages are returned. So the fundamental clash
between the two is still there no matter what Trump says.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
So how could it possibly work, Stephen, Well, it cants.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
We're talking about two incompatible demands between Hamas that wants
to survive, keep the hostages, keep control of the Gaza population,
and Israel that wants the opposite. So I predict that
whatever Trump says, the conflict will continue and he will
have to nail agencies will have to do their best

(01:38):
to help the innocent victims.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Well, the I mean, in the scenario that you're describing,
this conflict just goes on until one or other side
is wiped out.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
It's much different to the Israeli Iran conflict. We're not
talking about two governments. We're talking about a government and
a militia, and the way they operate is totally different.
Israelis are trying to operate according to law and bureaucratic practice,
and the militia are operating according to survival tactics and

(02:09):
using whatever advantages they can of the broken terrain and
terrorist initiatives. So it's an asymmetrical conflict therefore quite different
to the clash between Israel and Iran.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
I See, so whatever if there was a ceasefire that
was agreed to. It would be temporary, it would be yes,
it'd be wonderful.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
I mean, we all want to cease fire. We want
the innocent people to stop being harmed and killed. We
want aid to flow into Gaza. We want the rebuilding
process to begin. Remember it didn't take more than a
year or two to rebuild Germany and Japan. They were
flintened after World War Two. So the potential for a
rebuilt and a dynamic new Gaza is there. The potential

(02:56):
for a resolution of Israel with the Gulf Arab States
it is also there now that is that Iran is disarmed,
So there are lots of potential, but the Palestinians stand
right in the middle of it. Until this issue is settled,
then nothing else is settled.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
All right, Stephen, thank you as always appreciated. Stephen Hoadley,
International relations expert. For more from Hither Duplessy, Allen Drive,
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