Since the site has been down all day, I'll stick to a recap and some 'high' lights. Basically the same downward progression as every day.
A recap of recent developments
It is Sunday, June 2 in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.
- Israeli forces continued to pound north and central Gaza as the WHO announced the closure of southern Rafah city’s last functioning hospital, the al-Helal al-Emirati Hospital. The global health agency said that “there are almost no health services available in Rafah”.
- Thousands of Israelis have again taken to the streets, calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to strike a deal with Hamas that will see the release of captives held in Gaza.
- Qatar, Egypt and the United States urged Israel and Hamas to conclude an agreement that embodies the principles outlined by US President Joe Biden, but far-right ministers in the ruling Israeli coalition threatened to dissolve Netanyahu’s government if he accepts such a deal.
- Yemen’s Houthis said they conducted six operations on Saturday, targeting a US aircraft carrier, a destroyer and three vessels in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
- Chile says it will back South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Clothes hang on the balcony of a damaged school housing internally displaced Palestinians in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Saturday
That 'Israeli deal' proposed by Biden isn't sitting well with the war cabinet
Israel’s far-right ministers threaten toppling government over ceasefire deal
Israel’s far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu they will leave his coalition and topple the government if he accepts Biden’s ceasefire proposal, according to Axios’s political reporter, Barak Ravid.
“We will not allow the end of the war without the complete elimination of Hamas. If the prime minister implements the promiscuous deal under the conditions published today, which mean the end of the war and the renouncing of Hamas, Otzma Yehudit will dissolve the government,” Ben-Gvir said in a post on X, referring to his party.
BREAKING: Ultranationalist ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich tell Netanyahu they will leave the coalition and topple the government if the Israeli proposal for the hostage deal presented by President Biden goes through
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) June 1, 2024
So that means no ceasefire deal ever. First they can't eliminate Hamas, and even if they could, there would be no Hamas left to make a deal with... The intention is clearly the indefinite (re)occupation of Gaza and turning it into another West Bank Israel can raid daily at will.
The government will have to fall first before any deal gets made
Lapid slams threats by Ben Gvir, Smotrich over new truce deal
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has denounced far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for threatening to dissolve Netanyahu’s government if he were to accept Biden’s new ceasefire deal.
Lapid said the threats “abandon national security, the hostages and the residents of the north and south”, according to the Times of Israel.
“This is the worst and most wanton government in the country’s history,” Lapid was quoted as saying. “As far as they’re concerned, there could be war here forever.”
And Gantz will gladly take over
Gantz calls for Israeli war cabinet to meet over new truce deal
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, has called for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss Biden’s new ceasefire proposal, according to the Times of Israel.
“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 was quoted as saying.
He stressed that Israel is “committed to continue advancing an arrangement to return the hostages” and that the war cabinet “must be convened as soon as possible together with the negotiating team to formulate the next steps”.
It's Biden's last straw rather than Israel having changed its mind.
Sorry Biden, you'll actually have to do something rather than saying you'll do something.
Biden needs a pause in Gaza as election season approaches
The joint statement by the US, Egypt and Qatar once again emphasises that this is an ongoing process. There has been a lot of confusion over the past 24 hours about how on earth it is possible that after Biden says this is an Israeli deal that’s on the table, that Benjamin Netanyahu can then make various comments that seem to say he does not really agree with what the US president said in his speech.
And I think that’s understandable because none of us have actually seen what this four-and-a-half page document actually is.
So a lot of today has been about trying to understand what has Netanyahu agreed to, what is the Israeli deal and how does it work?
What the Biden administration says has happened is that Netanyahu has agreed to the parameters of this three-phase deal. The first part of that deal is a six-week ceasefire with some sort of captive exchange, humanitarian relief and limited withdrawal of Israeli forces. But then all these other issues – such as the future of Hamas – they are all still to be negotiated in phase two. So, therefore, it can still be described as an Israeli deal that Netanyahu has signed off on.
There are differences between Biden and Netanyahu, which in itself is quite notable. Apparently, Biden has evolved on this issue, while Netanyahu is still using the same kind of eradication [of Hamas] language that he was talking about before.
But for Biden, what he wants is that six-week ceasefire, which then can be rolled over as negotiations continue about the other phases. Because you know, we heard this last year. A Biden administration official was quoted as saying that Israel can do pretty much what it wants until the heat of the election season.
And now that election season is approaching, the conventions are going to begin in a few weeks’ time, and Biden needs that pause, some kind of pause, a six-week pause. This isn’t about a permanent ceasefire yet. This is about a six-week ceasefire that can potentially roll over so that Biden can begin to rehabilitate himself with his base during the election season.
And the deal for Netanyahu is that by presenting this as an Israeli deal, he can start, perhaps, to rehabilitate himself as well as international law closes in.
Not surprising, but let everyone 'pressure' Hamas to accept the deal. I guess only Biden knows what's actually in the 'Israeli' proposal.
Hamas yet to receive Biden’s ceasefire proposal
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan welcomed Biden’s proposal as “positive”, but said the group is yet to receive any written documents.
“We have not received anything written, and based on our experience what is verbally said is not what is usually documented. That is why we are ready to study any documents with all the details. However what is being broadcast in the media reflects positivity,” he told Al Jazeera.
“We can see that people are conscious that the continuous war and the killing of our people will not make us lose our steadfastness. So there are a lot of positive elements. However we need to see it documented on a piece of paper that should be sent to us.”
