News - Politico: Israel disappointed the US by refusing to participate in Gaza talks

The Israeli delegation refused to attend this week's planned talks with the Palestinian Hamas movement aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the newspaper Politico with reference to sources.According to their information, the Israeli delegation refused to participate in the consultation despite the fact that earlier, the leadership of the Jewish state had confirmed to the U.S. the intention to send a delegation to the talks. Politico sources say that the White House is disappointed by the refusal, as they believed that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching an agreement. At the same time, Israel refused to specify the reasons for the decision.The newspaper recalled that earlier this week, the US leadership considered sending the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, to the region to facilitate the negotiations. However, the White House has yet to finalize his trip.According to Politico, the points of the agreement under discussion between Israel and Hamas are broadly similar to those in U.S. President Joe Biden's plan. However, over the past few weeks, Israeli and Hamas representatives have made additional concessions. The newspaper notes that there is no information yet on when the negotiators will meet in person.