The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 12, 2024: Hamas Dashes Ceasefire Hopes & Biden Eyes Putin's Frozen Assets In Europe

Episode Date: June 12, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have hit a major snag, as Hamas requests numerous changes to a U.S.-backed proposal that Israel says is tantamount to a rejection. The Biden administration is making a concerted diplomatic push to convince skeptical European allies to allow the use of frozen Russian assets to help fund the defense of Ukraine ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit later this week. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail].  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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First, negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have hit a major snag, well, now there's a surprise, as Hamas terrorists request numerous changes to a U.S.-backed proposal that Israel says is tantamount to a rejection. Also, the Biden administration is making a concerted diplomatic push to convince European allies to allow the use of frozen Russian assets to help fund the defense of Ukraine, ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit later this week. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were quickly dashed on Tuesday after Hamas appeared to balk at a U.S.-backed proposal requesting numerous changes

that reportedly go far beyond the group's past demands. Well, that's because, of course, Hamas is a terrorist organization doing the beck and call of the Iranian regime, and the Iranian regime wants the destruction of the war. Israel, and they know that the longer Hamas fights this war while hiding behind civilians, well, the more civilians will suffer and the more Israel will be blamed. This is not rocket science. Mediators in Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement on Tuesday, confirming they had finally received Hamas' formal response to the ceasefire proposal after nearly two weeks of uncertainty.

While details are still hazy, Hamas apparently proposed several amendments to the ceasefire proposal, demanded a concrete timeline for a permanent end to Israel's military operations and a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and they also requested written guarantees from the U.S., that's according to a report from CNN. Just a day earlier, Hamas had tentatively endorsed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the group to accept the ceasefire proposal, leading many analysts, particularly those who aren't particularly good at analyzing, to believe a true deal was imminent. Skeptics warned it was an empty political gesture, however, and they appear to have been proven correct. Senior officials in Israel said Hamas' response was tantamount to a rejection of the ceasefire offer, though as we noted,

the details remain unclear. We know, however, that Hamas has consistently demanded that any ceasefire must include the immediate and permanent withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza, something that is a frankly non-starter for Israel. U.S. officials struck a different tone, saying that Hamas had neither accepted nor rejected the proposal and that the gaps between Israel and Hamas are still potentially, quote, bridgible. Oh. Despite the optimism, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken,

who has been in the Middle East this week to attempt to secure the deal, appeared visibly frustrated at a press conference with the Qatari Prime Minister on Wednesday. Blinken said, quote, some of the changes are workable, some are not, end quote. He noted that the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan was virtually identical to a proposal that Hamas had previously accepted. He also reiterated that in recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had given him explicit assurance that Israel would agree to the ceasefire if Hamas accepted the current proposal as is. Blinkin said, quote, Hamas could have answered with a single word.

Yes, at some point in a negotiation, you get to a point where if one side continues to change its demands, you have to question whether they're proceeding in good faith or not. And quote, really? Secretary Blinken has to question whether Hamas is negotiating in good faith. While Blinken may only just be coming to this realization, the negotiating tactics from Hamas should come as no surprise. As we recently covered on the BDB, leaked messages from Yaya Sinwar, Hamas's chief in Gaza,

show that he's told mediators in Qatar and Egypt that he believes the terrorist group has the upper hand in negotiations with Israel and can leverage growing international outrage over the war in Gaza to their advantage. A senior official with the Biden administration bluntly told CNN, quote, he believes he's winning. In messages published on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, Sinwar callously brushed off the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza, who Hamas has been using as shields, calling their deaths, quote, necessary sacrifices. In a recent message to his political masters living luxuriously in Qatar, Sinwar said, quote, we have the Israelis right where we want them,

end quote. Sinwar was one of the key masterminds of the barbaric 7 October attacks on Israel, and has since evaded justice by hiding in Hamas' expansive tunnel networks under God. When asked about the messages, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, quote, it should come as a shock to no one that Mr. Sinwar cares nothing at all about the lives of innocent Palestinians that have been caught up in this war, a war that he started, and it should surprise and shock no one that a beast like Mr. Sinwar would actually take glee in it and see advantage in it, end quote. Well, let me put Mr. Kirby's words in more blunt terms. dead Palestinian civilians are nothing more than currency and leverage for the Hamas leadership.

All right, coming up after the break, the Biden administration is attempting to convince skeptical European allies to allow the use of frozen Russian assets to help fund the defense of Ukraine. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume and 10 cents, inspired by a unique orchid accord. paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch, solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy,

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Adelante! Welcome back. An idea, spearheaded by the Biden administration, is creating division between the U.S. and European nations, as governments continued away using Russian assets to fund Ukraine. Since its invasion, the West has frozen roughly $260 billion in Russian camps, being held in banks across the world. Now, the plan that's currently being proposed by President Biden,

or at least as advisors, is sort of well convoluted. The White House is proposing that the U.S. makes a $50 billion loan to Ukraine to assist military efforts. That loan would then be paid off using the interest from the Russian assets which generate around $3.7 billion annually. Hmm. Okay, well, sounds like a good idea in theory. perhaps, experts suggest that a $50 billion loan would shore up keeps financing for 2025. And it would also mean that they wouldn't be dipping into the Russian funds directly, a move that would likely spook future investors. But now, look, I'm not a high finance guy. But it is possible that this move, this convoluted idea, could still spook investors.

I mean, you're still dipping into the funds. You're just skimming off the fat stacks earned through interest. Here's the snag, though. Most of that money resides in the European Union, and before Washington is willing to loan the money, the administration wants a guarantee from the EU that interest is going to be paid out. Now, that's not a guarantee, considering how divided the bloc is on the war.

The current freeze on Russian assets has to be renewed every six months, unanimously by all EU member states, unanimously being a key word here. If, for example, Hungary or, any other EU member state opposes the asset freeze, well, the U.S. would find itself without the money to repay the loan. The topic is likely to be a focus when the G7 summit begins in Italy this week. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, quote, this is a priority for the U.S. We believe it's also a

priority for the entire G7. According to senior diplomats and officials, France and Germany are also skeptical of the White House proposal. They're concerned that if anything were to go wrong, that they'd be the ones on the hook to pay the loan back. One senior European diplomat summed it up like this, quote, Europe takes all the risk and the U.S. uses the money for a U.S. Ukraine fund. We might be stupid, but we're not that stupid, end quote. Well, frankly, it's a fine line between stupid and not that stupid, so don't sell yourself short. EU nations are proposing that they secure their own loan to Ukraine without the U.S. or G7. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 12 June.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. If you want to listen to the show ad-free, well, be sure to check out our premium membership at pdbpremium.com. And of course, all of us here at PDB headquarters, which, as you know, is situated in a secret layer underneath a dormant, volcano, we're very excited about our extended weekend version of the PDB, the PDB Situation Report. As you probably heard from your neighbors, new episodes drop every Friday evening at 10 p.m. Eastern on the first TV, and can also be found on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief and, of course, all podcast platforms. It's like the regular weekday PDB, but longer, and with guests, and in living color, with moving pictures and stuff.

I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird.

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