Israeli far-right ministers threatened to dissolve the government if Netanyahu agreed to the ceasefire proposal announced by Biden on Friday.
US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Israel had proposed a three-phase plan to the Palestinian Resistance group, Hamas, aimed at ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli captives held there.
Biden called on Hamas to accept the proposal and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withstand pressure from members of his coalition who are against the plan.
Hamas said it would “respond positively to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, the return of the displaced, and the completion of a comprehensive hostage exchange deal.”
Netanyahu’s office, however, reiterated on Friday his intention to continue Israel’s offensive in Gaza until all of Tel Aviv’s war goals are achieved.
Additionally, Israeli far-right ministers threatened on Saturday to dissolve the government if Netanyahu agrees to the proposal.
‘A Non-Starter’ – Netanyahu Says No Gaza Ceasefire until Hamas ‘Destroyed’
A Roadmap for Permanent Ceasefire
In a joint statement, ceasefire mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the United States urged the parties to finalize an agreement based on the principles recently outlined by Washington for a lasting ceasefire.
“As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, Qatar, the United States, and Egypt jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement on Saturday, citing Biden’s Friday night speech on the proposed deal.
“These principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” the statement added.
The mediators further emphasized that “this deal offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis.”
‘Time for a New Stage’ – Biden Calls on Hamas to Accept ‘Israeli Proposal’
Dissolve the Government
Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to resign and dissolve the governing coalition if Netanyahu agrees to the Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by Biden on Friday.
In a post on X on Saturday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that “the deal.. means the end of the war and the surrender to Hamas.
העסקה כפי שפרטיה פורסמו היום – משמעותה סיום המלחמה וויתור על מיטוט חמאס. זו עסקה מופקרת, שמהווה ניצחון לטרור וסכנה ביטחונית למדינת ישראל. הסכמה לעסקה כזו איננה הניצחון המוחלט – אלא התבוסה המוחלטת.
לא נאפשר את סיום המלחמה ללא חיסולו המוחלט של חמאס.במידה וראש הממשלה יוציא לפועל…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) June 1, 2024
“This is a reckless deal, which constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the state of Israel,” Ben-Gvir added.
For his part, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened his resignation from the government if the war is ended “without eliminating Hamas,” Israeli Channel 12 reported.
Deal on the Table
Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz said on Saturday that the government is committed to continuing its support for the broad outlines of the prisoner exchange deal as formulated by the negotiating team and unanimously approved by the War Cabinet, according to media reports.
He added that the deal is “part of the wider effort to achieve all of the war’s objectives,” the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
Gantz said the war cabinet “must be convened as soon as possible together with the negotiating team to formulate the next steps.”
“The United States has proven over time consistently, exactly like it has since the war’s beginning under the leadership of President Biden, its commitment to Israel’s security and the efforts to return the hostages. We are deeply grateful to the president and all our American friends for their support,” Gantz reportedly.
ממשלת ישראל לא יכולה להתעלם מנאומו המשמעותי של הנשיא ביידן. יש עסקה על השולחן וצריך לעשות אותה.
מזכיר לנתניהו שיש לו מאתנו רשת בטחון לעסקת חטופים אם בן גביר וסמוטריץ׳ יעזבו את הממשלה.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 1, 2024
Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid also urged Netanyahu’s government on Saturday to heed the ceasefire proposal.
“The Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden’s significant speech” laying out the proposal, Yair Lapid wrote on X.
“There is a deal on the table and it needs to be taken,” Lapid added.
“Remind Netanyahu that he has a safety net from us for a hostage deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government,” the opposition leader also said.
Israel’s Rejection
On May 6, Hamas politburo chief, Ismail Haniyeh informed the negotiators that Hamas had announced its acceptance of a ceasefire proposal for the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hamas later said that the necessary measures “to ensure the implementation of the agreement were also reviewed after the movement made its decision out of concern for our people and their supreme interests.”
“It is now on the occupation to seize the moment and agree to the proposal presented,” the statement added.
However, Israel rejected the deal and decided instead to go ahead with the invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 36,379 Palestinians have been killed, and 82,407 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Gaza Genocide – Civilian Toll Rises amid Relentless Bombardment
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, Anadolu, Agencies)
Meanwhile, one hopes the ICC Prosecutor will be tallying up Israel’s refusals to end the slaughter … as one hopes he will tally up Israel’s persecution of the ICC; ditto for the ICJ’s panel of judges …