A day after President Biden called on Israel and Hamas to reach a truce, saying it was “time for this war to end,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Saturday that Israel would not accept a ceasefire. -the permanent fire in Gaza for as long as Hamas still retains governmental and military power.
In his statement, Mr. Netanyahu did not explicitly endorse or reject the ceasefire plan proposed by Mr. Biden in an unusually detailed speech on Friday. Two Israeli officials confirmed that Mr. Biden’s proposal matched an Israeli ceasefire proposal that had received the green light from Israel’s war cabinet. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
But the timing of Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks, delivered the next morning, appeared to dampen Mr. Biden’s hopes for a quick resolution to the war, which has cost more than 36,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Ministry of Justice. Gaza Health. Ministry.
“The conditions imposed by Israel to end the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas’s military and government capabilities, the release of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he said. Mr. Netanyahu’s office in a statement released Saturday morning. .
Biden administration officials and some Israeli analysts said they believed Israel still supported the proposal outlined by Mr. Biden on Friday, and that Mr. Netanyahu’s statement on Saturday was tailored more to his domestic audience and aimed instead to manage the members of his far-right cabinet. than retaliate against the White House. Mr Biden is eager for the war to end, just five months before the US presidential election.
But Mr Netanyahu’s domestic political concerns could prove paramount. On Saturday evening, two of Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners – Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir – threatened to leave his government if he moved forward with the proposal. Mr. Ben-Gvir called the terms of the agreement a “total defeat” and a “victory for terrorism.” If both their parties leave his coalition, it could mark the end of Mr Netanyahu’s government.
Hamas immediately welcomed Mr. Biden’s speech on Friday and said it was ready to deal in a “positive and constructive” manner with any agreement that meets its list of demands, including a complete withdrawal from Israel, a cease-fire permanent fire, the reconstruction of Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and a “serious exchange of prisoners”.
As Mr. Biden pointed out, the plan did not specify who would lead the Gaza Strip after the war. Unless other arrangements are made, that could leave Hamas in de facto control of the territory, which the Palestinian armed group would likely consider a major strategic victory after nearly eight months of the Israeli military offensive.
Since the armed group’s devastating October 7 attack, which Israeli authorities say left 1,200 people dead in Israel and another 250 taken hostage, Israeli leaders have vowed to overthrow Hamas’ rule in Gaza. They also said they would maintain “security control” in Gaza after the war, making a full withdrawal more difficult.
Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly promised the Israeli public an “absolute victory” over Hamas, arguing in April that such an outcome was only “one step away.” Hamas militants nevertheless waged a fierce guerrilla war against Israeli troops in Gaza, and top Hamas leaders thwarted Israeli efforts to capture or assassinate them.
Analysts in Israel described Mr. Biden’s speech as aimed at bypassing Mr. Netanyahu, to make a direct appeal to the Israeli public, which largely supports the war effort, according to polls. Although Israeli officials have presented proposals that include commitments to a lasting ceasefire, Mr. Netanyahu faces a host of competing pressures at home that could lead his government to reverse course, they said. -they declared.
“Biden challenges Israel by saying, ‘I expect you to allow this arrangement to go ahead.’ Don’t sabotage it. Don’t pull the rug out from under you for political reasons,” said Uzi Arad, a former Israeli national security adviser under Mr. Netanyahu. “Act rather than talk.”
Families of hostages held in Gaza have rallied public support for their call for a ceasefire deal, amid growing fears over the fate of their loved ones, with large crowds taking part in protests in Tel Aviv. About 125 of the approximately 250 hostages remain in Gaza, and more than 30 of them are presumed dead, Israeli authorities said.
Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri during the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, admitted that the agreement would be difficult to swallow for part of the Israeli public. But he said it was essential to reach an agreement to free the remaining hostages.
“If this deal is not reached, because of Hamas or Israel, we are heading towards an eternal war, where we will sink deeper and deeper into the mud, dragging down the Israelis, the Palestinians and certainly the hostages ” said Mr. Dickmann. . “It could be now or never.”
If Mr. Netanyahu accepts the deal, however, he could find it difficult to maintain his governing coalition. Some of his far-right coalition partners have suggested they might leave his government in the event of what they see as a premature end to the war. And if Israel agreed to a truce allowing Hamas to retain power, even moderate Israelis would likely wonder what the Gaza offensive actually accomplished.
Mr. Netanyahu’s emergency unity government is already under threat: Benny Gantz, a rival who united with Mr. Netanyahu as a war measure, has threatened to leave unless the prime minister speaks out a plan for post-war Gaza and not bring back the hostages by June 8. Netanyahu has not yet announced his intention to respond to Mr. Gantz’s demands.
On Thursday, Mr. Dickmann said he met with Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, as well as several other family members of the hostages. Mr. Hanegbi told the group that the Israeli government was unable to accept a hostage release deal that included an end to the war, Mr. Dickmann said. Mr. Hanegbi also said earlier this week that he expected the fighting to last for several more months.
Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s parliamentary opposition, urged Mr. Netanyahu to accept the deal as presented by President Biden. He reiterated that his party would give Mr. Netanyahu a “safety net,” preventing a vote of no confidence aimed at ousting the government if hardliners like Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, resigned in protest. against a ceasefire agreement. .
Analysts said Mr. Netanyahu had tried to avoid that scenario because it would make him dependent on some of his harshest critics.
Israel and Hamas first observed a week-long truce in late November during which 105 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released. Since then, both sides have adopted seemingly intractable positions: Hamas has conditioned any further release of hostages on Israel’s end to the war, while Israel has vowed that there will be no truce until he would not have destroyed Hamas and repatriated its hostages.
The proposed ceasefire plan, as outlined by Mr. Biden, would begin with a six-week cessation of hostilities, during which Hamas would release women, elderly and injured hostages held in Gaza since The attack carried out by Hamas on October 7. on Israel who started the war. Israel would withdraw from Gaza’s main population centers, release at least hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and facilitate the daily entry of at least 600 humanitarian aid trucks.
In the first phase, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians would return to their homes in northern Gaza for the first time in months. Israeli officials said their forces would gradually withdraw to allow them to return unhindered if hostilities resume. They viewed the offer as a concession to Hamas, which they said could take advantage of the opening to rebuild its government in northern Gaza.
In the second phase, Israel and Hamas would effectively declare the war over, Mr. Biden said. Hamas would release the remaining hostages, including male Israeli soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, while Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase would then involve rebuilding Gaza and Hamas returning the bodies of the remaining dead hostages.
Gershon Baskin, an Israeli activist who helped negotiate the 2011 release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held for years by Hamas, said the deal presented by Mr. Biden underscored the need for a plan to defeat Hamas politically by building an alternative Palestinian government.
“Ultimately, in the absence of a coherent plan to replace Hamas in Gaza, accepting this plan means giving in to Hamas’ demands,” said Mr. Baskin, who nonetheless supports the deal.
Mr. Biden admitted that there were still “a number of details to negotiate” in order to move to the second phase of the agreement – the announcement of a lasting ceasefire. He said Israel and Hamas would negotiate throughout the first phase to try to reach acceptable terms for the continued cessation of hostilities.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting from Rehoboth Beach, Del.
