Ambiguity behind ceasefire plan is ‘US strategy’
There’s an American strategy of ambiguity. I get the tactic on the part of Washington. What I don’t get is trying to convince all of us that what the Israelis say in public is not important. The Israeli prime minister himself says Israel won’t stop the war until it destroys Hamas.
They’re only interested in phase one of the ceasefire proposal because they want to release as many captives as possible and continue the war.
So while everyone in Washington is trying to spin it as if there is confliction and controversy, there really isn’t. It’s quite simple: Netanyahu does not want to end the war. Israel continues to kill dozens of people in Gaza every day while Washington fails to put pressure on it to end the war – when Biden himself says “this war must end”.
White House spokesman insists Israel put forward Gaza ceasefire proposal
John Kirby has reiterated the Biden administration’s line amid days of confusion over whether Israel actually agreed to the three-phase, ceasefire proposal laid out by the US president last week.
“I’m comfortable that this is in fact an accurate depiction of the proposal, the Israeli proposal. The president laid it out in stark detail. He didn’t lay out every single detail, but the big components of it – and he did so accurately,” Kirby told Al Jazeera.
“And it is an Israeli proposal.”
What a muppet. It's an Israeli proposal that Israel doesn't support...
Netanyahu doesn't even call it a ceasefire
Netanyahu says captive-release plan enables Israel to destroy Hamas
During the Israeli leader’s call with French President Macron earlier, he said the truce proposal would allow it to meet all war objectives including the “elimination of Hamas”.
Netanyahu said this remains one of Israel’s “fundamental objectives” along with freeing Israeli captives.
Competing interpretations of a three-stage ceasefire plan unveiled by US President Biden seem to be complicating the negotiation process. The proposal, as stated by Biden, calls for a six-week ceasefire in stage one, and then negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in stage two.
Netanyahu, however, insists there will be no full ceasefire until Israel roots out Hamas. Hamas, for its part, says it will only back a plan that commits to a permanent end of the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this afternoon with French President Emmanuel Macron, and updated him on the details of the outline for the release of the hostages
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 4, 2024
Biden, Blinken, Kirby, Miller, all made to look like fools by Netanyahu. Could even have been planned that way as it's no secret Netanyahu rather wants Trump in office over Biden. Making Biden look weak is good for Trump's chances.
Speaking of looking like fools
As war nears eight-month mark, US says doesn’t know if Israel committing war crimes
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Washington has “processes ongoing to look at whether there have been violations of international humanitarian law”.
His comments come after Biden, in an interview with TIME Magazine released earlier in the day, said it is “uncertain” that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza.
“That’s why the president says the answer to that question is uncertain, it’s because we don’t know the answer,” Miller told reporters. “It’s something that we have an ongoing process to look at and to try to get an answer to, but at this time we don’t know the answer.”
In December, Biden said Israel was losing support for its war on Gaza over its “indiscriminate bombing” of the territory – a war crime.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on June 2
