‘Biden is trying to be the salesperson for the Israeli government’
The latest ceasefire initiative outlined by President Biden is another version of what has been already proposed.
I think Biden is trying to be the salesperson for the Israeli government as he tries to peddle another version of its proposals that don’t utter clearly, simply, and comprehensively the words “permanent ceasefire”.
You would think after eight months of war – after the destruction of Gaza that we haven’t seen in the past 15 years anywhere – for the American president not to be able to stand behind the idea of a permanent ceasefire is really bewildering.
Israeli leaders are really periled at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Their standing in the region and the world is at its lowest ever. The United States and the Biden administration, in particular, are suffering terribly because of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. And that’s why I think President Biden needs this today. They need some sort of transitional quiet, if possible, so the pressure at home and abroad ends.
President Biden ‘putting himself on the line’ with truce announcement
Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh says the ceasefire proposal Biden announced does not appear to be different “in any fundamental way” from those previously presented.
What was striking, however, is that the US president “put himself on the line”, Odeh told Al Jazeera.
“He said the US would guarantee that Israel keeps its end of the bargain so long as the mediators can bring Hamas to accept the deal and keep up its end of the bargain,” she said.
“This is the first time we hear from the president of the United States, the most important ally of Israel, saying, ‘This deal is on the table, it’s good and everybody should take it.’ And I think it will be difficult for Hamas to resist the kind of pressure that will be applied on it, no doubt.”
Gaza war will not end until ‘all goals achieved’: Israeli PM’s office
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza war won’t end until the “elimination” of Hamas’s capacity to make war and govern.
“The prime minister authorised the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving this goal, while insisting the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The comments come shortly after US President Biden urged Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire proposal, which he said Israel drew up.
All eyes on Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners after Biden speech
What’s interesting in this speech is that Joe Biden said this proposal won’t go down well with some people in the current Israeli government.
That’s in reference to those far-right ministers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. They have made it very clear they want to resettle Gaza and stay as long as possible in terms of the war.
When it comes to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s also been attacked by the families of those held captive, saying he’s stopping a ceasefire deal for his own political gain and his own political interests to stay in government. This is a person on trial for corruption from before this coalition government was formed. He needs the likes of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to be able to stay in power.
