Turning the screws on Hamas

Politico

24-07-2025

With help from Felicia Schwartz, Daniel Lippman and Cheyanne Daniels
Subscribe here | Email Eric
No, the U.S. probably isn't abandoning its push for a ceasefire in the Israel and Hamas war. But it is playing hardball.
Special envoy STEVE WITKOFF said today that the U.S. was pulling out of talks to end the fighting because 'Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.'
Things were already breaking down at the talks in Doha when his statement came out. A few hours before the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU recalled negotiators for consultations (Israel clearly didn't like Hamas's response on Wednesday to the latest ceasefire proposal). And multiple Israeli outlets reported last week that Egypt's negotiating team was increasingly frustrated with Hamas' approach to negotiations. Egyptian and Qatari negotiators have also reportedly urged Hamas to modify its asks.
Still, the sense among some Middle East watchers in Washington is that Witkoff's move is a negotiating tactic.
After all, Hamas is still leaving the door open to more negotiations. A 'senior Hamas source' told Reuters earlier today that a ceasefire was still possible but cautioned Israel could ultimately stall a deal. Were Hamas to change its demands, former U.S. and Israeli officials believe that talks will likely resume apace.
'Clearly everyone is running out of patience,' said SHALOM LIPNER, a former adviser to Netanyahu and other Israeli prime ministers. 'But I don't think that it necessarily means that were Hamas to come back with something that people felt was more viable, that they wouldn't re-engage to get that thing across the finish line.'
Meanwhile, two people familiar with Israel's positions told Reuters that its decision to pull negotiators shouldn't be interpreted as reflecting any crisis in talks. Israeli officials are also currently trying to play down any suggestions that this is a long-term crisis.
In the short term, however, the decision from the U.S. to withdraw from talks could further embolden Israel on the battlefield as it has sought to increase the pain on Hamas and push it to finally agree to a deal. Israel in recent weeks has faced renewed international criticism over the killings of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid and a controversial strike on Gaza's only Catholic church. Aid groups are warning about the degree of starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Yet rebukes from the European Union and other major allies have not yet translated into any material changes in Israel's military decisions.
The Inbox
ZELENSKYY BACKTRACKING: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY introduced legislation today to preserve the independence of anti-corruption government agencies in response to mass protests over a perceived power grab by Zelenskyy's administration, our colleague Yurii Stasiuk reports.
The decision came days after Zelenskyy signed a law giving his administration more power over these agencies, a step he said he was taking to counter Russian interference in Ukraine's government. This sparked multiple days of protests in Kyiv, the first such large demonstration since the full invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, along with widespread criticism among European officials.The bill would limit agency oversight powers of the nation's prosecutor general and introduce minor steps to safeguard law enforcement agents. But there are members of Zelenskyy's party with objections to the bill, so it is not clear if Ukraine's parliament will pass it.
The chaos could undermine Zelenskyy's push for further integration with the West, by reawakening worries about endemic corruption in Kyiv. Concerns about corruption in Ukraine have already been deployed by critics of Kyiv as an argument against Western aid to the country.
MADURO'S PRICE FOR PRISONERS: Chevron will be allowed to resume drilling operations in Venezuela, The Wall Street Journal's Alex Leary, Vera Bergengreun and Keyal Vyas report, days after Caracas released 10 Americans and a spate of political prisoners as part of a multicountry prisoner swap with the United States.
THE QUAD BEGETS MORE: Quad members are eyeing more security pacts between them and other partners as a way to further counter Beijing in the Indo-Pacific.
Japanese diplomat NORIAKI ABE told Nikkei's Kiran Sharma that the alliance of Australia, Japan, India and the United States is eyeing adding new trilateral military and defense partnerships to its lattice-work of pacts. Abe said that these pacts would be modeled off of trilateral security alliances established by Quad countries like the U.S. and Japan with the Philippines and South Korea, which have seen the countries conduct joint military exercises and patrols together in contested waterways.
Among the contenders is a pact between India, Indonesia and France, Nikkei reports. The alliance is also considering partnerships with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The desire to expand multilateral ties in China's backyard speaks to continued anxiety in the region about Chinese territorial aggression. And it suggests that the grouping of countries is looking beyond partners in close proximity — in the past, New Zealand and South Korea have been floated as additional partners to the Quad — to include European allies.
SOME NEWS ON THE HOME FRONT: Are you a NatSec Daily reader who also cares deeply about the economic changes the Trump administration is ushering in? We have good news for you.
POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in: one shaped by political volatility, disruption and a wave of policy decisions with sector-wide consequences. Each week, Morning Money: Capital Risk brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk is moving markets and how investors are adapting. Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs or court rulings could ripple through the economy? Start here.
IT'S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at [e-mail], and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil.
While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on X and Bluesky at: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @nahaltoosi.bsky.social‬, @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel
Keystrokes
WALK THE PLANKEY: SEAN PLANKEY, Trump's nominee to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, dodged giving direct answers on his thoughts on whether the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
As Maggie reported (for POLITICO Pro subscribers!), Plankey was pressed on the issues by Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) during his nomination hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. When asked if he believed the 2020 election was stolen, Plankey testified that he had 'not reviewed any of the cybersecurity of the 2020 election,' though he noted that the electoral college 'did confirm President JOE BIDEN.'
When Blumenthal asked what Plankey would do if Trump asked him to say that the future 2026 and 2028 elections are rigged, Plankey sidestepped. He said: 'I have not reviewed the cybersecurity posture of all 50 states. … That's like a doctor who's diagnosing somebody over the television because they saw them on the news.'
CISA has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since January and has been in Trump's crosshairs since the 2020 election, when the agency and other stakeholder groups put out a statement describing the election as 'the most secure in American history.' Trump fired then-CISA Director CHRIS KREBS days later and has since stripped Krebs of his security clearance and directed an investigation into his time in the position.
FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — QUESTIONS, CONCERNS: The leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee want answers from Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH following media revelations that Microsoft engineers based in China were providing support to Pentagon computer systems — a significant counterintelligence risk.
As our own John Sakellariadis writes in, while Hegseth recently announced a two-week review of all cloud services across the DOD, Sens. JACK REED (D-R.I.) and ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.) expressed alarm that the initiative was brought to light not by the agency but investigative reporting from ProPublica.
It 'is unacceptable that officials only learned of PRC engineers' involvement through a reporter, exposing a critical gap in oversight,' they wrote in a letter to Hegseth, which was shared first with NatSec Daily.
Spokespeople for the Pentagon did not immediately reply to NatSec Daily's request for comment.
The Complex
PENTAGON'S CONFAB PULL OUT: The Aspen Security Forum likely won't be the only event the Pentagon skips this year. Our own Jack Detsch scoops that the Pentagon will suspend participation in all think tank events until 'further notice.'
The decision, spelled out in a memo obtained by POLITICO, applies to all DOD military officers, civil servants and senior enlisted leaders and took effect Tuesday.
Going forward, the Pentagon will require that its public affairs office vet participation by DOD officials 'to ensure the Department of Defense is not lending its name and credibility to organizations, forums, and events that run counter to the values of this administration,' according to spokesperson SEAN PARNELL.
The memo singles out the Halifax International Security Forum as one even the Pentagon won't be attending but doesn't specify others. Prior Defense secretaries used confabs such as Aspen, Halifax, International Institute of Strategic Studies' Shangri-La Dialogue and the Reagan National Defense Forum, to give major policy speeches and hold sideline meetings with both allies and adversaries.
Nota bene, POLITICO Pro subscribers had this story first.
On the Hill
SHAHEEN SAVES WALTZ: Former national security adviser MIKE WALTZ cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today in his quest for Senate confirmation as U.N. ambassador, thanks to — of all things — a vote in his favor from Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.).
Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) had blocked a procedural vote in the Foreign Relations Committee to advance Waltz's bid to be America's next ambassador to the United Nations. But Shaheen, the top Democrat on the panel, voted in favor of Waltz to allow Republicans to move forward with a favorable recommendation.
Shaheen clarified that it shouldn't be construed as support for Waltz, who faces continued criticism over the Signalgate scandal. And in a subsequent statement, she added that in light of the influence of Vice President JD VANCE, Undersecretary of Defense ELBRIDGE COLBY and Hegseth over administration policy, 'I think we're better off having someone like Mike Waltz present.'
Her move also reflects the strength of the relationship at the top of the dais with Chair JIM RISCH (R-Idaho). The two pledged to work together to advance bipartisan policy concerns and repair a relationship that became fractious under the two previous top Democrats on the foreign policy panel — former Sens. BOB MENENDEZ and BEN CARDIN.
Broadsides
CBC CLOBBERS GABBARD: Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for Director of National Intelligence TULSI GABBARD's resignation after she publicly claimed that the Obama administration 'manufactured and politicized' evidence about Russia's interference in the 2016 election, our colleague Cheyanne Daniels writes in.
In a letter led by Rep. SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE (D-Calif.), the CBC's whip and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the members argue Gabbard's claims are a 'dangerous and deliberate distortion of reality' meant to distract the public from the administration's refusal to release additional information regarding the investigation into JEFFREY EPSTEIN, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are taking a completely different approach to Gabbard's disclosure. Sens. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) and JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas) called on Attorney General PAM BONDI to name a special counsel to probe whether the Obama administration 'manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome.'
Transitions
— Former Trump national security adviser ROBERT O'BRIEN joined the strategic advisory board of strategic intelligence firm Strider Technologies, NatSec Daily has learned.
— DAVID URBAN has been appointed to the board of directors of SAIC. Urban, a former senior adviser to Trump, continues at BGR, Torridon Law and as a political strategist and a CNN commentator.
— The Defense Department has added three appointees to its communications team. JACOB BLISS, DANI CANGIANO and RILEY PODLESKI are now assistant press secretaries and ROYCE CHAMBERLIN is now doing digital media. Bliss, a former Breitbart reporter, is a former communications director for ex-Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.). Podleski most recently was communications assistant for Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.)
What to Read
— Timour Azhari and Feras Dalatey, Reuters: Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president's brother is in charge.
— David Skidmore, The Diplomat: US Foreign Aid With Chinese Characteristics
— Lara Jakes and José Bautista, The New York Times: Why Spain Is Reluctant to Spend Even a Little More on Security
Tomorrow Today
— National Institute for Deterrence Studies, 10 a.m: Strategic Imperatives: Augmenting Theater Nuclear Forces for 21st Century Deterrence
— Atlantic Council, 2:30 p.m.: 'Tensions with India and the Future of U.S. Ties' with Pakistani Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister ISHAQ DAR
Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who are 'never coordinated or acting in good faith.'