Palestinian prisoners. But even if a deal is reached, israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu insists there will be a fresh Military Offensive in rafah. There has been Widespread International concern that an Israeli Ground operation could endanger more than one million palestinians sheltering there. Our correspondent Anna Foster Injerusalem has the latest on where negotiations stand. We are at that point in proceedings where, through the afternoon, i have been watching in the regional media, various briefings saying were on the verge of an agreement, the framework of an everything through to israel saying no they wont agree to a ceasefire to end the war permanently. The key thing at this point in time is this is the moment would be here these briefings and hear Different Things from different sides but until we get some sort of official word, potentially from the egyptian mediators, in charge of the talks in cairo, really all of thatis talks in cairo, really all of that is background noise. What we do know is one key Sticking Point is the idea of a permanent ceasefire. We know thatis permanent ceasefire. We know that is a key part of what hamas is asking for out of the deal, the idea that there would be individual into this war, rather than just be individual into this war, Rather Thanjust A be individual into this war, rather than just a temporary ceasefire, while the exchange goes on. We know israel, equally, say that without a Ground Offensive in rafah, which Benjamin Netanyahu, is really stuck, has been talking about for months, they say they cant conclude the deliberation, fully removing hamas from gaza. They have been saying at the last few days evenif saying at the last few days even if there is a deal that Military Operation will go ahead. There is a lot going on behind closed doors, a lot of rumour and speculation and conjecture, but in concrete terms we are no further forward. Bbc arabic� s Abdelbassir Hassan has also been following negotiations and has the latest from cairo. We couldnt hear anything from the talks in cairo, which have started already, earlier today. With a confirmation from hamas. They came and are taking it serious this time as well. And a statement or remarks made to reuters today have made some convocations over the scene here in cairo, because he said that they are coming with their basic demands of a full cessation of the war. A full and complete withdrawal of the israeli troops from gaza, and full access to the north of the strip, as well as free movement, which seemingly had a reaction from the israeli side. Twice this day, some media quoted a diplomatic official from israel saying that they will not stop the offensive Against Rafah as long as hamas is demanding an end to the war. This led benny gantz, the cabinet minister, to ask this unnamed diplomatic official to exercise restraint, because they didnt get any clear answer from hamas so far. For more on this, i spoke to frank lowenstein, former us special envoy for Israeli Palestinian negotiations and former Senior Advisor to the secretary of state. We are hearing these efforts towards a ceasefire are intensifying. These have been going on for several weeks. Some mixed messages. The hamas delegation saying it was in positive spirits but then today hearing that there havent been any significant steps forward. How optimistic are you that we could see a Ceasefire Deal agreed in the coming days or weeks . I agreed in the coming days or weeks . ~. Agreed in the coming days or weeks . ~. , weeks . I think we have seen some encouraging weeks . I think we have seen some encouraging signs weeks . I think we have seen some encouraging signs in l weeks . I think we have seen i some encouraging signs in the last hour to from hamas. Previously they rejected the proposal outright and now they are saying that they are looking at with positivity. But there are core issues to be resolved, particularly whether this will be permanent or not. Then there are comments that they will do rafah, and hamas saying that they needed be permanent. Hamas could be posturing, and the israelis as well. ,. ,. , ~ well. How much do you think the round well. How much do you think the Ground Invasion well. How much do you think the Ground Invasion of well. How much do you think the Ground Invasion of rafah, well. How much do you think the Ground Invasion of rafah, the. Ground invasion of rafah, the one that is likely to go ahead, at least according to Prime Minister netanyahu, how much is that hanging over negotiations . How much of a Sticking Point is it . It how much of a Sticking Point is it . ,. , it . It is the elephant in the room. From it . It is the elephant in the room. From the it . It is the elephant in the room. From the united it . It is the elephant in the i room. From the United States perspective, this would result in far more civilian casualties, which we have been trying to avoid. It also domestic problems for biden as well. Bernie sanders said this could become another vietnam. The Biden Administration has a lot of incentive. That is why we have been pressing as well as much as we have. And pressuring the qatari is. Whether we will succeed or not is certainly an open question. How much urgency is there on the part of both hamas and israel, and there is domestic pressure time for my Minister Netanyahu to get the hostages home, but this has dragged on for many months. Is there enough for either side to really push for a deal, to really push for a deal, to really make some sort of concession . Really make some sort of concession . That is a good question concession . That is a good question. What concession . That is a good question. What im concession . That is a good i question. What im concerned about is that we care about this more than either of the parties do. In 2014 when secretary kerry was negotiating a ceasefire between hamas and israel, weve pushed the parties hard to get the parties to agree to something they didnt want to agree to and ceasefire fell very quickly. Both sides feel really forced into something that they didnt otherwise want to do, it might not last. And that is the concern for the Biden Administration. If the sides arent in a place where they want to get the result. For their own domestic political reasons. I must think they are winning the war. They dont mind having thousands of Palestinian Civilians sorted to advance their aims. And i think netanyahu has concerns of his own. It isnt clear that either side really wants this. Side really wants this. This took about side really wants this. This took about what side really wants this. This took about what is side really wants this. This took about what is going i side really wants this. This took about what is going on in the us. We have seen massive protests arriving at us universities, coast to coast, really. There is a lot of pressure right now on President Biden. Is there more the white house could be doing to try to get these two sides to agree on a Ceasefire Deal . I get these two sides to agree on a Ceasefire Deal . A Ceasefire Deal . I think biden will do everything a Ceasefire Deal . I think biden will do everything he a Ceasefire Deal . I think biden will do everything he to a Ceasefire Deal . I think biden will do everything he to tampl will do everything he to tamp the underlying cause of the protest movement, which is what is going on in the ground in gaza. The only way well get momentum out of this to make a ceasefire, which would allow humanitarian assistance to prevent a war with hezbollah, allow civilians to make hostages to be released. It is important to remember that biden would like to do this. And he would like to make a speech, Jake Sullivan said today, either a two state solution, or continue to get in the dark about their own right now. He cant do that is the war is raging. I think you will see by do everything again to get this over the line. We have done wonders get this over the line. We have done wonders question. Get this over the line. We have done wonders question. Were | done wonders question. Were getting some details about what might be in the Ceasefire Deal. We havent seen the actual document but but there are discussions about an exchange of hostages for palestinian prison is, conversations about allowing people to return to areas of the north of gaza. Do you think that the rumour details here would be enough to lay a foundation for a more lasting peace in the region . I think if they reached agreement on the core issue of whether this will be permanent and to the war not, and United States hopes it would be, that i think the other issues can be resolved. It is important to understand there is a debell in all of those details. Devil. Everyone of us as a Sticking Point as far as israel and hamas is concerned. If what theyre looking for is a reason to buy the other side for failure, the points can provide ample opportunity for either side to bail out and blame the other. Well see if either side is really interested in the ceasefire in the days ahead. Greg lowenstein, former us special envoy for Israeli Palestinian negotiations. Anti war protests at us colleges continued on saturday, some conflicting with graduation ceremonies. Pro palestinian demonstrators interrupted a Graduation Ceremony at the University Of Michigan. Some graduates held palestinian flags while Chanting Slogans in the packed stadium. Amid growing demonstrations over the war in gaza more universities are bracing for disruptions at graduation ceremonies. Meanwhile, police at the University Of Virginia tore down tents and cleared out protesters after declaring the encampment an Unlawful Assembly and Columbia University in new york is rethinking its commencement plans. More than 40 Us College Campuses have seen Student Protests or encampments over the past two weeks. Student protests across the us has sparked a heated debate on First Amendment rights. For more on this, im joined by the director of the cato Institutes Center for educational freedom, neal mccluskey. Thank you for coming into the studio. We saw disruptions at the University Of Michigan during the Graduation Ceremony. But you the overall . We have seen dozens of universities with these protests. How do you think they are balancing the rights of Freedom Of Speech on campus, freedoms of expression, with concerns about safety . I think every campus is different, every state where a lot of these things is happening is different. Different institutions draw on different places. Generally i dont think we have seen a lot of colleges that have had really over the top police responses. I think they have tried to let the protesters speak. They often will allow them to have their encampments. But they do say you cant interrupt something really important, you cant interrupt education, you can interrupt graduation, especially considering a lot of people graduate now missed a lot of couege graduate now missed a lot of college because of covid 19, and would like to end with normalcy. So theyre trying to make this balance of operating as an institution while allowing you to speak. And then there is the bigger question of some states, Public College universities, governors, sometimes legislatures, will say, well, we need to be stricter with Police Coming in and breaking these things up, and breaking these things up, and then gets a bit more dicey. We saw the governor of texas bringing in troopers quickly to there. Universities have always, of course, been thought to be places of open discussion, of scholarly classes, of really digging in on some difficult topics like the war, currently, in the middle east. Do you think the universities are struggling to do that by now . Are they not able to engage with this topic in a way that relates more towards towards classes or studies . Towards towards classes or studies . , studies . Clearly with the protests studies . Clearly with the protests and studies . Clearly with the protests and the studies . Clearly with the protests and the encampments, there are difficulties. Ucla had a clash of protesters that got really ugly. But is the worst case scenario. I think what we have seen is protesters saying what they want to say, making statements, making, you know, a big production out of what they want. I havent seen a whole lot of that lead to constructive dialogue. But i think probably if you go into universities and you go into the military is, you go into the military is, you go into the classes, you are probably seeing kids more engaged with this on a one on one Free Exchange of ideas. Protests arent always about lets get together with people we disagree with. It is more to project our message and get attention to ourselves. This is also spilt attention to ourselves. This is also spilt into attention to ourselves. This is also spilt into the attention to ourselves. This is also spilt into the world attention to ourselves. This is also spilt into the world of. Also spilt into the world of politics in the president ial election. You recently wrote a piece called feds should leave Campus Unrest to others. What role do you think the government should play when it comes to the protest that we have been seeing . Comes to the protest that we have been seeing . This makes me very nervous have been seeing . This makes me very nervous as have been seeing . This makes me very nervous. As we have been seeing . This makes me very nervous. As we said, have been seeing . This makes me very nervous. As we said, it have been seeing . This makes me very nervous. As we said, it is very nervous. As we said, it is hard to draw this line. When you draw the line between safety, between academics, and between free speech . When the federal government comes in and says we will draw the line, if they get it wrong, everybody in they get it wrong, everybody in the country suffers. The country suffers. Have they not it the country suffers. Have they got it wrong . The country suffers. Have they got it wrong . We the country suffers. Have they got it wrong . We saw the country suffers. Have they got it wrong . We saw the the country suffers. Have they l got it wrong . We saw the house speaker, didnt we, at Columbia University himself, giving a press conference, President Biden speaking a few days ago. Biden speaking a few days auo. ,. ,. , biden speaking a few days ago. They started to speak on at the generally ago. They started to speak on at the generally havent ago. They started to speak on at the generally havent passed| at the generally havent passed legislation. They have also had hearings which i think i kind of counter productive when they Bring College president s in front of a Congressional Committee and the kind of girl them for two or three hours and often it doesnt seem like they are trying to get at a productive solution, it seems more like venting. That is probably not helpful. They recently in the house passed a bill that has a definition of Anti Semitism that they would like to apply to investigations of colleges that i think is very dangerous in jeopardising free speech, because it isnt just saying if it is a clear threat, it is illegal, it is if you are saying things combined with a thread that we says Anti Semitism, we need to have Anti Semitism, we need to have a clear line that speech is protected, especially from the federal government. Mas protected, especially from the federal government. Federal government. Was in a lot of comparisons federal government. Was in a lot of comparisons between l lot of comparisons between these protests and the anti war protests in the late 1960s. How much of a political liability do you think that the current protests are for the democrats and for biden public chances of re election . And for biden public chances of reelection . Reelection . Im not a political reelection . Im not a i political prognostication. Reelection . Im not a political prognostication. We have seen that the Biden Administration is concerned about losing support and heavily muslim areas. I think heavily muslim ar