[News] Sinwar; resolute commander, savvy negotiator, symbol of ‘Israel’s’ failure

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/sinwar--resolute-cmmdr--savvy-negotiator--symbol-of--israel>
Sinwar; resolute cmmdr, savvy negotiator, symbol of ‘Israel’s’ failure
Al Mayadeen English
May 12, 2024
------------------------------

According to Hamas, Israeli, and US officials, al-Sinwar has emerged not
just as a strong-willed leader, but also as a shrewd negotiator.
[image: 70e82348-5b5d-47fa-b010-f17ccfec420f.png]

   - Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, greets his supporters upon his
   arrival at a meeting in a hall on the seaside of Gaza City on April 30,
   2022. (*AP*)

Yahya al-Sinwar's survival
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas--resilience-means-our-failure--ex-israeli-minister>
7 months into the war on Gaza
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/amid-ill-advised-rafah-invasion---israel--further-isolated>
is "emblematic" of its failures, having destroyed most of Gaza while Hamas'
senior leadership remains largely intact and failing to liberate the
majority of the captives taken during the October operation, *The New York
Times* reported.

Al-Sinwar, whose name literally translates to the fisherman or the crafter
of fishing hooks in Arabic, was seen to be at the crest of Operation
Al-Aqsa Flood
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-yahya-al-sinwar-the-artist-behind-operation-al-aqsa-f>
when it came crashing down on the Zionist colonial entity.

A report written by* Reuters* in December recalls a speech made by
al-Sinwar back in 2022 uncannily foreshadowing the events of Operation
Al-Aqsa Flood in his choice of wording. In a speech addressing the Israeli
security establishment on December 14 two years ago, during a popular
ceremony in Gaza celebrating the 35th anniversary of Hamas' establishment,
al-Sinwar specifically threatened the Israelis with an impending "flood"
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/al-sinwar-publicly-spoke-of-a--flood--one-year-before-octobe>
.

Despite their desire to target him, Israeli officials have been compelled
to deal with him, although indirectly, to liberate the remaining captives.
According to Hamas, Israeli, and US officials, al-Sinwar has emerged not
only as a strong-willed leader but also as a savvy negotiator who has
prevented an Israeli combat win by engaging Israeli envoys at the
bargaining table
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/biden-remarks-on-captives--setback--for-ceasefire-negotiatio>
.

He has proved to be both a fierce antagonist and a skilled political
player, capable of understanding Israeli culture and appearing to change
his ideas accordingly.

Former Israeli officials who monitored him while he was imprisoned reported
that he learned Hebrew and gained insight into Israeli culture, something
US authorities believe he exploits to sow fissures in Israeli society and
increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

They think al-Sinwar timed the publication of videos of some Israeli
captives to incite public indignation against Netanyahu during critical
periods of the ceasefire negotiations.

According to Israeli and US intelligence sources, al-Sinwar's aim is to
prolong the war to wreak havoc on "Israel's" worldwide reputation and harm
its relationship with its main partner, the US. This strategy seems to have
paid off as US President Joe Biden issued his harshest critique of Israeli
policies recently after the occupation invaded Rafah
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/amid-ill-advised-rafah-invasion---israel--further-isolated>.
Biden said he would block some future weaponry shipments if "Israel"
launched a full-scale invasion.

In an attempt to bribe the Israeli occupation, the Biden administration has
reportedly offered to provide "Israel" with "sensitive intelligence
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-to-offer--israel--intelligence-on-hamas-if-rafah-invasion>"
on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders, only if it holds off the
invasion of Rafah, which holds more than 1 million Palestinians sheltering
there amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/day-218-in-gaza--34-971-killed--78-641-injured-by--israel>
.

Four unnamed sources were quoted by *The Washington Post* as saying that
the United States "is offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back,
including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the
location of Hamas leaders and find the group's hidden tunnels."
Rafah invasion is to prevent Netanyahu's fall: Israeli media

Israeli Reserve General Gadi Shamni, former head of the Gaza Division, said
today that the Israeli invasion of Rafah has a political goal and that is
to prevent the fall of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's
government
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-report-on-weapons-use-to-clear--israel--of-war-crimes--vi>,
as reported by Israeli media.

Speaking with Israeli* i24 news *as he took part in an event in occupied
Bir al-Sabe', Shamni said that threats from Israeli Minister Itamar
Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are the only reason behind a Rafah invasion
as they have threatened to overthrow the Israeli government if this
invasion is not completed.

He stressed that sending Israeli occupation forces into a battle for the
sake of achieving political goals is considered as crossing red lines
emphasizing that there is no logic behind developments in Rafah.

Shamni said the worse the situation becomes the more that will pave the way
for extremist views in Netanyahu's government, adding that as an example,
it will increase the chances of Smotrich implementing his plan of
displacing the Arabs.
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