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25 Jan 2025

‘Urgent negotiations’ on release of civilian hostage Arbel Yehud – former US diplomat

We spoke to Jennifer Gavito – former US diplomat and now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, about the delayed release of civilian hostage Arbel Yehud.

I began by asking her how much of a problem it might cause.

Jennifer Gavito: There is a great deal of speculation about why that might be. There have been accusations that perhaps she’s being held not by Hamas, but by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that that still has to be worked out. Whatever the reason, the release of the four IDF soldiers this morning surrounded by Hamas fighters presented quite a striking picture. And that might have, in fact, been what Hamas was agitating for. That being said, the Israeli government was very quick to point out that this was a violation of the ceasefire agreement. And my understanding is that there are urgent negotiations happening as we speak.

Keme Nzerem: And you mentioned the footage that we’ve all been seeing, of the four soldiers, to what extent is that going to make it more difficult for the moderates in Israel to continue to work towards a ceasefire and a durable one at that.

Jennifer Gavito: Despite the Israeli government’s assertations and attempts, Hamas still exists and continues to be a force to be reckoned with. And so in my mind, that really just reinforces the urgency of moving ahead with the ceasefire in fact. Figuring out how to get Palestinian Authority control over Gaza in order to displace Hamas and more importantly down the road, the importance of rebuilding, showing Palestinians that there is a different path that doesn’t involve Hamas leadership and that there, you know, with Israel is some sort of pathway to peace.

Keme Nzerem: And how realistic do you think it is that Palestinians do find a way to support other leaders in Gaza that are less likely to choose a militant path?

Jennifer Gavito: Certainly more challenging than it was pre October 7th. And the Palestinian Authority has been, through its own actions and through Israeli actions, has really been undermined, diminished over the course of many years. And so there is a lot involved with this, as both of the recent US administrations have spoken about. You have to reform the Palestinian Authority. You have to give Israel confidence that its borders will be secure. I mean, these are years long undertakings. This is not a short-term project. And before you can do any of that, you have to find a way to rebuild Gaza. You have to provide homes, food, really critical humanitarian assistance. And so far, there doesn’t seem to be a good plan in place to do any of that.