DemocracyNow! June 3 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/6/3/ceasefire_proposal
*U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday outlined what he described as an Israeli ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza, nearly eight months after Israel began its invasion in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. Biden described three phases to release captives held by both sides, allow residents to return to the north of the Gaza Strip and begin reconstruction of the devastated territory after the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. Hamas said it looked positively on the proposal and previously accepted similar terms, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to agree to it publicly amid pressure from far-right members of his governing coalition to continue the war indefinitely. Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy says Biden may have employed “constructive ambiguity” about Israel’s position in order to bring the two sides closer to a deal, but that the most important goal is to end the “horrors” in Gaza with a permanent ceasefire. “What are the maximal guarantees that can be given that this is not just a 42-day hiatus followed by yet further death, killing, destruction that we still now see every day?” asks Levy, who is now president of the U.S./Middle East Project.* . . . DANIEL LEVY: ... And that is why I suggest to you that the question is for President Biden: Does he up the ante and make the cost of saying no greater, or does he allow Netanyahu to stare him down? And then Biden has the choice: “I can throw more goodies at the Israelis.” You know, the congressional invitation, that’s a goodie for Netanyahu. It’s not just the Republican leadership, as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries signed on that letter of invitation. “Do I try and package something more around this Saudi deal, that is clearly not budging Israeli internal politics? What more goodies can I throw?” That’s not going to work. It’s failed. It’s not our first rodeo, where Netanyahu undermines and goes ahead and does what he wants and stares down the American president. His other choice is to say, “You know what? Just as I kind of did in my speech, I’ll blame Hamas. Then I can say to my American voting public, 'I tried. It was Hamas's fault.’” Maybe it will work. I suggest people who are following this closely will find it hard to see that as credible. Or he can up the ante and actually, rather than have Netanyahu win this standoff, escalate the cost to Netanyahu, to the Israeli security establishment, to the Israeli public and the Israeli voting system of continuing with this war, continuing with the violations and war crimes that are being committed. , , , AMY GOODMAN: You are a former Israeli peace negotiator. What do you see happening, as we wrap up this discussion, at this point? The fact that, speaking from a podium, President Biden laid this out, this plan, and suggested that Israel was supporting it, and Hamas said they were open to it, how serious is this? DANIEL LEVY: The president has to prove its seriousness. I don’t dismiss that it was important that he set this plan out, because he’s kind of now put, in a transparent way, this is the option. If you want to get your hostages out, there are good reasons for Israel to take this deal. Israel may not be exhausted, but it’s overextended, and there are elements of exhaustion. There are less and less hostages alive, if you want to see them home living. That’s why people, many of the hostages’ families are out on the streets screaming. If you don’t want these international actions to continue, then there is a path forward here. However, if the Israeli decision, as it currently seems to be, that this war should continue, their military objectives are not going to be realized. They have not been realized. Hamas will not be vanquished in the way that Netanyahu suggests. The Palestinians cannot be defeated militarily. Some of the fantasy day-after plans are precisely that. They are magical, not realist thinking. But if you want that equation to change, then, as the leading Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea has said in a column today, he has said there will have to be internal and external pressure to change that equation. So, I fear that, initially, what we are already seeing is that Netanyahu will try and get away with pooh-poohing the American president’s plan and trying to have the blame placed on Hamas. Will the U.S. go along with this? That’s not a question for Netanyahu. That’s a question for the administration. The chance — the chance that we actually see an end to these horrors is if it’s is too costly for Netanyahu to continue. We are not there yet. I’m not suggesting Hamas will be an easy negotiating partner, but their position has been quite clear and consistent, and their initial reaction to the Biden plan has followed suit. . . . *Negotiations stalled as Hamas demands detailed ceasefire proposal*: WSJ by Al Mayadeen English, source Wall Street Journal, June 3 https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/negotiations-stalled-as-hamas-demands-detailed-ceasefire-pro Hamas is seeking a detailed written proposal that aligns with Biden's description and ensures a comprehensive and enduring ceasefire The negotiations between "Israel" and Hamas have hit a roadblock as Hamas officials express dissatisfaction with the one-sided terms from "Israel," Wall Street Journal reports. According to statements made to mediators, Hamas has not seen an Israeli proposal that aligns with the vision outlined by US President Biden. While acknowledging the seriousness of Biden's ideas, Hamas is seeking a detailed written proposal that aligns with his description and ensures a comprehensive and enduring ceasefire, as conveyed by Arab mediators. . . . *Biden’s Cease-Fire Plan Seeks to Push Hamas and Israel Into an Agreement Neither Wants* *U.S. president is more interested in a deal than the two warring parties* by Alan Cullison, Wall Street Journal, June 3 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/bidens-cease-fire-plan-seeks-to-push-hamas-and-israel-into-an-agreement-neither-wants-38833ade By publicly airing a peace plan to settle the war in Gaza, President Biden is hoping to box both the Israeli government and Hamas into talks on halting a war that neither side seems in any rush to end. The question now, though, is whether they will stay in the box. Both of the warring parties appeared lukewarm toward Biden’s peace plan for separate reasons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government hasn’t yet achieved its goal of destroying Hamas militarily, and far-right members are threatening to quit the governing coalition rather than accept a halt to the war. Hamas appears to be in no rush to end the war either, believing that it is drawing Israel into a quagmire that is turning the country into an international pariah while reviving the Palestinian national cause. For Biden, the continuing war in Gaza is a political liability before presidential elections in the fall, dividing his base, which has criticized him for supporting Israel too much or too little. His peace plan appeared to be a gambit to end the dilemma, one that closely parallels Israel’s own cease-fire proposal, to make it harder for Netanyahu to reject. The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas via mediators from Arab states have been stalled for weeks, mainly over whether an initial, temporary cease-fire and hostage release would lead to a permanent end to the war. To bridge the divide, Biden is seeking to recast the goal of the conflict, arguing that degrading Hamas so it is no longer capable of carrying out large-scale attacks should be Israel’s goal, instead of Hamas’s destruction. Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament in private remarks over the weekend that the cease-fire would be temporary. If later-stage talks break down, Israel would have the freedom to resume its military operation in Gaza. U.S. officials indicated that Hamas could be the more difficult of the two parties to bring to talks. ... He [Biden] gave little warning to Netanyahu—about three hours—before his televised address Friday, although the White House called the peace proposal a brainchild of Israel. . . . On Monday, White House officials publicly put the onus for accepting the plan on Hamas, crediting Israel with forging the blueprint Biden described publicly. . . . *Will Israel and Hamas accept President Biden’s ceasefire plan?* Al Jazeera, Inside Story, June 3 https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2024/6/3/will-israel-and-hamas-accept-president-bidens-ceasefire-plan -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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