Biden’s Gaza plan ‘not a good deal’ but Israel accepts it, Netanyahu
The Aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israel had accepted the agreement pushed by US President Joe Biden to end the war on Gaza, which is approaching its ninth month. Still, at the same time, he described it as “flawed” and in need of more work. Last Friday evening, Biden revealed an agreement to end the war on Gaza according to three phases.
The first phase, which will last six weeks, includes a comprehensive ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from residential areas in Gaza, and the return of civilians to their homes in Gaza. The second phase will witness an exchange of Living prisoners, including Israeli soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The third phase revolves around the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of the final remains of the detainees who were killed. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy advisor, Ofir Falk, said Biden’s proposal is “a deal that we agreed to.
It is not a good deal, but we very much want the hostages released, all of them.” He continued, “There are many details that need to be worked out,” adding that the Israeli conditions, including “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a terrorist organisation (committing) genocide,” have not changed, according to his claim.
Biden’s invitation to Israel and Hamas to accept the proposal met with wide disagreement in Israeli circles, as opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu to accept the offer while providing a safety net to avoid toppling his government, which is allied with the extreme right, at a time when National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the Finance Minister threatened Bezalel Smotrich to withdraw from the government if the proposal is approved and not to continue the war.
As part of the pressure on Netanyahu, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand acceptance of Biden’s proposal, and the “Forum of Families of Detainees and Missing Persons” demanded, in a statement, the Israeli government to immediately approve the agreement and return all the detainees at once.
It also called on all ministers and members of the government coalition to commit to supporting the agreement and not allowing it to be undermined. While Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday that Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed, which are eliminating Hamas’ military capabilities, freeing all detainees, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses any threat to Israel, Falk reiterated this position, saying: “There will be no permanent ceasefire until it is achieved.” All our goals.
On the other hand, Hamas confirmed that it viewed “positively” what was included in Biden’s speech on Friday evening. In a joint statement on Saturday, the States of Qatar, Egypt and the United States called on the Hamas movement and Israel to conclude “an agreement that embodies the principles set by US President Joe Biden,” saying that “these principles bring together the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests, and would To immediately end the long-suffering of all residents of Gaza, as well as the long-suffering of the hostages and their families.”
