Netanyahu aide says ceasefire proposal ‘not a good deal’ but Israel accepts it
An aide to Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel has accepted a framework deal, which was announced by US President Biden, for winding down the war on Gaza.
In an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times, Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy adviser, said Biden’s proposal was “a deal we agreed to – it’s not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them”.
“There are a lot of details to be worked out,” he said, adding that Israel’s conditions include “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organisation”.
Later on Sunday, the US State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls about the ceasefire proposal with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet member Benny Gantz.
The State Department said that in the call with Gallant, Blinken “commended Israel’s readiness to conclude a deal” and “underscored that the proposal would advance Israel’s long-term security interests, including by enabling the possibility of further integration in the region”.
Who is 'Israel' in this case as Netanyahu, Gvir and Smotrich say different. Gallant and Gantz I guess, but they're not the decision makers atm.
Minister Smotrich holds discussions on quitting Netanyahu gov’t: Report
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is reported to be in discussions with rabbis linked to his Religious Zionist Party about the circumstances under which he would abandon the Netanyahu government.
Smotrich virulently opposes any ceasefire deal on Gaza that comes before destroying Hamas, and he has threatened to quit Netanyahu’s fragile coalition government if the prime minister goes ahead with a ceasefire plan unveiled by Biden.
According to the Israeli news site Kipa, Smotrich is expected to leave the government before it strikes any ceasefire accord.
Biden’s ceasefire proposal outlines a three-stage plan to end the war, freeing Israeli captives and releasing Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Israel will do ‘whatever necessary’ to bring captives home: Gantz
War cabinet member Benny Gantz says Israel views the release of captives in Gaza as a “moral responsibility” and a “priority” objective in the war. In a post on X, he emphasised these points to US Secretary of State Blinken during their call yesterday, adding that Israel would “exhaust any opportunity to achieve the goal”.
Gantz also noted the importance of the US exerting pressure on negotiators “to ensure the implementation of the arrangement proposed by Israel”.
On Friday, Biden unveiled a three-stage ceasefire plan, framed as an Israeli proposal. However, the proposal has drawn backlash from some far-right members of the Israeli government, who are pressuring Netanyahu not to accept it.
I spoke yesterday with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken on the efforts to secure an arrangement to return the hostages.
I emphasised to him that the State of Israel is committed to returning the hostages and views it not only as a superior moral responsibility, but a priority…
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) June 3, 2024
Gallant to US: Hamas rule of Gaza must end
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant restated his government’s commitment to dismantling Hamas as a governing and military authority in the framework of any deal to wind down the Gaza war, his office quoted him as telling the top US diplomat.
In the call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Gallant also “discussed the issue of identifying and enabling the emergence of a local, governing alternative” to the Hamas armed group, the Defense Ministry statement said.
Finalise ceasefire deal today, says Israel’s Lapid
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Israel to agree to a recently unveiled ceasefire plan and send a delegation to Cairo today to hammer out the details.
In a post on X, Lapid reiterated to PM Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition allies have threatened to collapse the government if the plan goes ahead, that he would step in and provide the government with a “political safety net” to save the deal.
אמרתי כעת בוועדה לביקורת המדינה: ממשלת ישראל צריכה להסכים להצעת נתניהו, ולשלוח עוד היום משלחת לקהיר כדי לסגור את הפרטים האחרונים. ולהחזיר הביתה את הגברים,הנשים הצעירות, הקשישים החיילים והחיילות שכלואים במנהרות.
אני חוזר על הצעתי לתת לנתניהו רשת בטחון פוליטית לביצוע העסקה. pic.twitter.com/ywdH8twAQ2
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 3, 2024
Israeli minister calls for occupation of Gaza
Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu has called for the destruction of Hamas and the occupation of the Palestinian enclave.
“Only one way to victory: the destruction of Hamas and the occupation of the Gaza Strip,” said Eliyahu, who had railed against last year’s ceasefire deal with Hamas that saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners exchanged for dozens of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
