On Friday, May 31, US President Joe Biden revealed an Israeli plan consisting of three stages to end the war that has been going on in Gaza for about eight months. The proposal announced by Biden, which he said was an Israeli proposal, consists of three stages: The first phase – lasts six weeks, and includes a comprehensive ceasefire, with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in the Gaza Strip, with the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” releasing a number of its Israeli detainees, in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

During this stage, Palestinian civilians will be able to return to their homes in all areas of Gaza, including the north. Humanitarian aid is also allowed to enter the Gaza Strip at a rate of 600 trucks per day. This stage witnesses a negotiation process between Israel and Hamas on the necessary arrangements to reach the second stage, which includes a final cessation of hostilities. 

Phase Two – During this phase, all remaining living detainees held by Hamas, including male soldiers, will be released, and Israeli forces will be withdrawn from Gaza, with the temporary ceasefire turning into a “permanent cessation of hostilities,” if both parties fulfill their obligations. 

The third phase – This phase witnesses the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The remains of the remaining Israeli detainees who were killed are also being returned. Biden stressed that the Israeli proposal he presented does not represent any threat to Israel’s security because “Hamas’s capabilities have been destroyed during the last eight months, and it is no longer able to launch an attack similar to the 7th of October.” 

It was noteworthy that Biden pointed to the possibility of Israeli obstacles to the proposal, saying: “Some parties in Israel will not agree with this plan, and will call for the continuation of this war indefinitely, and some of these parties are in the government coalition.”

Israel response

 It is not known specifically whether the Israeli proposal presented by the American President represents the point of view of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and was approved by him or not, as the relationship between the two men has been witnessing noticeable tension for several months. 

Netanyahu did not personally comment on the proposal, but his office said, in a statement, that “Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed, which include destroying Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities, releasing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel.”

 The Prime Minister’s Office statement added that Israel “will continue to insist that these conditions be met before a permanent ceasefire can be reached.” Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy advisor, Ofir Falk, also said on Sunday, June 2, in an interview with the British newspaper “The Sunday Times”, that the American president’s proposal “is a deal that we agreed to – it is not a good deal – but we very much want all the hostages to be released.

Falk added, “There are many details that must be worked out,” stressing that “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas” are Israeli conditions that have not changed. On the other hand, the Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, rejected the proposal, threatening his resignation from the government if the Prime Minister approved it, saying: “I will not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed broad lines and ends the war without destroying Hamas and returning all the kidnapped ones.

 Hamas response:

 For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” said that it “views positively” what is included in the proposal. Hamas affirmed, in a statement, its readiness to “deal positively and constructively with any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and the return of the displaced to all their places of residence, and completing a serious prisoner exchange deal if the occupation announces its explicit commitment.” The United States, Egypt, and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to conclude an agreement against the backdrop of the proposal presented by the American President.