Call this the Michael Corleone offer. Remember this scene from The Godfather, Part II?
The latest proposal from Israel to Hamas may not be quite as dire, but it may not be far off either. Frustrations over Hamas’ lack of seriousness has created a lot of pressure on Israel to escalate concessions in order to get to a cease-fire. Most of the recent haggling has concerned the phasing of a multi-stage deal, with issues such as IDF positions, disarmament, and multiple releases of hostages and bodies for asymmetrical releases of Palestinian prisoners from Israel.
The new proposal eliminates most of the haggling. Simply put, Israel wants a single phase, where hostages get released in exchange for Yahya Sinwar and Hamas being allowed to escape Gaza and the West Bank for their lives:
According to sources, US officials believe that a…
