An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed on Sunday that ‘Israel’ has tentatively accepted a ceasefire framework proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden, though the plan is regarded as imperfect and requiring significant refinement.
Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy adviser, characterized Biden’s proposal as “a deal we agreed to – it’s not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them.” This statement was made during an interview with Britain’s Sunday Times, highlighting the urgency and gravity of the situation.
Falk emphasized that Israeli prerequisites remain unchanged, notably the unconditional release of hostages and the complete dismantling of Hamas.
On Friday, President Biden outlined a three-phase plan, purportedly developed by the Netanyahu administration, intended to conclude the war in Gaza. The plan encompasses the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, amd the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, and a prisoner exchange.
Hamas had expressed approval of US President Joe Biden’s recent appeal for a three-phase agreement with ‘Israel’ in a statement, through which it declared, “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas views positively what was included in US President Joe Biden’s speech today.”
However, Netanyahu is under pressure to keep his coalition government intact if he go into a deal. Falk reiterated Netanyahu’s position that “there will not be a permanent ceasefire until all our objectives are met: Hamas’s destruction and the return of the captives before a permanent ceasefire can be put in place.
Netanyahu’s far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are threatening to topple his government if he does.
But on Saturday, opposition leader Yair Lapid, who last week accused Netanyahu of prioritising his political survival, was quick to offer his support to the prime minister if he adopted the new ceasefire proposal.
Amidst divisions among the Israeli government, a huge demonstration in Tel Aviv led by families of the captives, on Saturday night, called on Netanyahu to strike a ceasefire deal. Discussions are taking Place with all parties and the coming days will disclose more details about the deal.
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