Netanyahu Stresses No Permanent Ceasefire Until Hamas Is Crushed and Hostages Freed

[CharlieH]

 

 

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly stated that there will be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are dismantled and all hostages are released. This declaration came after US President Joe Biden revealed that Israel had proposed a three-stage plan to Hamas aiming for a permanent ceasefire.

 

A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group "will go for this deal" if Israel does. Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Rafah, with reports of Israeli air strikes on Saturday in the city located on the Egypt-Gaza border.

 

Public pressure by Mr Biden on both Israel and Hamas to accept the plan does not guarantee a deal. On Saturday, Mr Netanyahu's office reiterated that Israel's "conditions for ending the war have not changed". These conditions include "the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel".

 

Israel emphasized it would "continue to insist these conditions are met" before considering a permanent ceasefire, refusing to sign any deal until these criteria are fulfilled. On Friday, Mr Biden described the plan as a comprehensive proposal which could lead to a permanent ceasefire. The first phase would involve a full ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas, and the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Following this, all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, would be returned. The final phase would include the repatriation of the remains of deceased Israeli hostages and the launch of a "major reconstruction plan" with US and international assistance to rebuild essential infrastructure in Gaza.

 

Hamas has consistently demanded a total end to the conflict before engaging in talks. After Mr Netanyahu's restatement of his aims for the war, a Hamas spokesman expressed support for the plan if Israel did the same. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau based in Qatar, told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme that while Israel's aims might not have changed, it also had not achieved them. "If [Netanyahu] tries to continue, he will not find anything except the readiness of the Palestinians - all Palestinians - to resist the occupation," Mr Naim said.

 

The proposed plan by Mr Biden offers a potential solution for both sides to claim their demands are met. For Hamas, it paves the way for a permanent ceasefire, under the condition that the Israeli military does not return to Gaza after the hostages are released, which is a critical demand.

 

Despite Biden’s assertion that Hamas has been sufficiently degraded and unable to carry out major attacks on Israel, opposition within Israel remains likely. Far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s coalition have previously threatened to resign over any deal that would end the war without the complete destruction of Hamas, potentially destabilizing Netanyahu’s government. Conversely, Yair Lapid, a key opposition figure, has pledged to support Netanyahu if he agrees to the ceasefire deal.

 

In an attempt to avoid backlash from critics, the statement from Mr Netanyahu’s office did not mention "total victory," a term he previously used to describe the aim of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

 

Israel's military has intensified attacks in Rafah in recent weeks, asserting operational control over the entire Egypt-Gaza border. US, Israeli, and Egyptian officials are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since early May, restricting aid flows into Gaza.

 

More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The war started in October when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and capturing 252 hostages, taking them back to Gaza.

 

as reported by BBC

 

2024-06-02

 

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[billd766]

Here is the main stumbling block to peace in Gaza.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz55y6k0p5go

 

quote "Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit and collapse the governing coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said they were opposed to striking any deal before Hamas was destroyed.

But opposition leader Yair Lapid has pledged to back the government if Mr Netanyahu supported the plan.

The prime minister himself insisted there would be no permanent truce until Hamas's military and governing capabilities were destroyed and all hostages released."

 

Instead of talking and threatening to bring the Israeli government down

 

Just do it. 

 

JFDI. 

 

There is more information in the link.