On Friday, US President Joe Biden reviewed an “Israeli” proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, reaching a permanent truce, and returning those kidnapped by Hamas, in a move that some considered a “last chance” in light of the pressure that Washington has been exerting on both sides of the conflict for more than 8 months. .
Biden’s speech came on Saturday night, a holy day in the Jewish religion when religious people do not work, making any reaction from the hard right postponed until the end of the day.
The proposal consists of 3 stages that constitute a road map to end the war in Gaza, and Biden called on all parties not to miss the opportunity to reach a deal that ends the conflict.
He said in a speech he gave at the White House regarding the situation in the Middle East, “Israel presented a proposal for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages in 3 stages,” and it was sent to Hamas (classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and other countries) via Qatar.
For its part, Hamas said in a statement on Friday that it viewed the proposal announced by Biden positively.
An Israeli statement sets 3 conditions before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
The Israeli government confirmed, on Saturday, that its conditions for ending the war in the Gaza Strip have not changed, which are to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and release all those kidnapped by the movement, after US President Joe Biden announced a new “Israeli” proposal for a ceasefire.
But on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced, in a statement, that Israel’s conditions “have not changed to end the war, which are: destroying Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities, releasing all the kidnapped people, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel.”
Al-Hurra website contacted the office of the Israeli government spokesman, Ofir Gendelman, to clarify whether the proposal that Netanyahu commented on is the same as the one announced by Biden, whether it was presented by the government, and whether Netanyahu’s statement represents a rejection or acceptance of the proposal.
In response to Al-Hurra’s questions, Gendelman sent a statement that said: “The Israeli government is united in its desire to recover our abductees soon, and is working to achieve this goal, so the Prime Minister authorized the negotiating team to present a plan to achieve this, while insisting that the war will not end until its full goals are achieved.” “Including the return of all kidnapped persons and the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities.”
He continued: “The precise plan presented by Israel, including the conditional transition from one stage to another, enables Israel to maintain these principles.”
Gendelman did not provide clarification on how to ensure that the goal of eliminating Hamas’ capabilities was achieved.
“The devil is in the details”
The Israeli analyst, Eli Nissan, said that the proposal announced by Biden “was presented by Israel to the American administration, and Washington adopted the proposal,” explaining that “the Israeli army is currently continuing its operations in the city of Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, and has taken control of the Philadelphia axis, where it was found.” Lots of tunnels there.”
Speaking to Al-Hurra website, he pointed out that these tunnels “were a lifeline for Hamas, and Israel is currently working to eliminate the four remaining Hamas divisions during these days.”
Nissan added that, thus, “there is nothing left of the Israeli goals other than the release of the abductees,” and reaching that deal is currently taking place “under the management of Washington and the participation of Qatar and Egypt, and if Hamas does not place obstacles to the deal, things will proceed as determined by Israel and the Biden administration.”
Source: An American-Egyptian-Israeli meeting in Cairo to discuss opening the Rafah crossing
Cairo News Channel quoted a high-level source as saying that a tripartite Egyptian-American-Israeli meeting will be held tomorrow, Sunday, to discuss restarting the Rafah crossing, in light of Egypt’s adherence to a complete Israeli withdrawal from the crossing.
This comes at a time when the Cairo News Channel, which is close to Egyptian intelligence, quoted a “high-level” source as saying that a meeting is scheduled to be held between Egyptian, Israeli and American officials, on Sunday, in Cairo, to discuss restarting the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The source confirmed that Egypt “insists on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the crossing.”
For his part, political analyst, Joab Stern, told Al-Hurra website that Netanyahu’s recent statements after Biden’s announcement of the road map for a ceasefire “talk about continuing to eliminate Hamas, but at the same time he implicitly adopts the position proposed by Biden.”
Olmert: The war in Gaza is not in Israel’s interest
On Saturday, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called for “a halt to the military operation in Rafah and an end to the faltering war in Gaza, in order to return the kidnapped people,” according to the “Makan” website in its Arabic version.
He continued: “He did not deny accepting the proposal, but he is marketing it as a scenario to eliminate Hamas, even if only as a ruler or force that can threaten Israel.”
Nissan explained that what Biden announced “is just a framework, and as they say, the devil lies in the details. If negotiations begin and Hamas puts up obstacles, this is the last opportunity to talk about Israeli concessions. If Hamas agrees, you are welcome, and if it does not agree, the war will continue.”
Final proposal?
The “Israeli” proposal proposed by Biden includes 3 stages, and differs from previous proposals as it stipulates the continuation of the ceasefire with the parties advancing in all three stages, according to Reuters.
During the first period, which includes a 6-week truce, Israeli forces withdraw from population centers in Gaza and hostages, including the elderly and women, are exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Biden said that Palestinian civilians will return to the Strip, including to northern Gaza, and 600 humanitarian aid trucks will be brought into the Strip daily.
In the second phase, Hamas and Israel will negotiate terms for a permanent cessation of hostilities. The US President explained that “the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue,” in a new development.
The third phase will include a master plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
After the decision of the International Court of Justice, angry Israeli voices and Palestinian welcome
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with the government’s legal advisor and a number of ministers regarding the decision of the International Court of Justice to stop the military operation in Rafah.
Nissan continued his speech to Al-Hurra, saying, “If Hamas does not obstruct the negotiations, Israel will eventually withdraw its forces, because it does not want to continue deploying them in the Gaza Strip, but if Hamas tries to restore its military strength, Israel will have the ability to enter from time to time, as it does in Tulkarm and Jenin.” “To curb any attempt to restore Hamas’ military power.”
While Stern considered that the talk issued by Netanyahu’s office about the “fiery” conditions and statements is “first and foremost directed towards his partners in the government (the hard-right), who do not want a deal and have threatened to withdraw from the government coalition.”
He continued: “This is what explains the timing of Biden’s statements on Saturday night, perhaps to allow the idea of the proposal to take root, before the hardliners return 24 hours later at the end of Saturday and announce their rejection.”
It is noteworthy that Biden, in his speech at the White House on Friday, called on the Israelis who are pressing to wage an “endless” war to change their minds.
He said: “I know that there are people in Israel who will oppose this plan and will call for the war to continue without end. Some of them in the government coalition have even made that clear. They want to occupy Gaza. They want to continue fighting for years and hostages are not a priority for them. I urged the leadership in Israel to support this agreement on Despite any pressure.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have always taken sharp positions against the Palestinians, as there were demands to displace them to other countries, and to occupy the Gaza Strip and return Israeli settlements there.
From “together we win” to division and isolation…the Gaza war leaves its impact on the Israeli interior
Over the months following the October 7 attacks, a slogan in Hebrew spread almost everywhere across the country, and it was indeed a tangible reality after the unprecedented escalation by the Hamas movement, and its words were “Together we will win,” but as the war continued, it seemed that politics returned and took over again, revealing differences. Strong within Israeli society.
Several Israeli media outlets described Biden’s speech on Friday as “dramatic” and translated it in an attempt to win over the Israeli public directly, according to Reuters.
Israel’s Channel 12 interrupted its evening news program to broadcast Biden’s speech live. Broadcaster Danny Koshmaru said that Israeli censorship “previously prohibited the publication of details of the show.”
Jeremy Sorey, professor of history and public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, told Reuters that the latest proposal “has a greater likelihood of success than previous proposals.”
He added: “Israel has inflicted great damage on Hamas, and the possibility that Hamas will be able to launch any serious strike, attack, or terrorist incident on Israel is not easy, but it is much less than it was before.”
Suri continued: “When the President of the United States fully supports something, he can create a lot of incentives.”
For his part, Stern told Al-Hurra: “Currently, Israel and Hamas must accept the proposal, which may be the last before practical steps or sanctions against Israel and Hamas from the American administration, if it is not accepted.”
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