Still just more words, no action
US, global allies release joint statement on Gaza ceasefire deal
The White House has put out a joint statement regarding the ceasefire deal outlined by US President Biden.
The statement, attributed to the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom, says the countries’ leaders “fully support the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table and as outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024”.
The statement claimed that “Israel is ready to move forward with the agreement” and called on Hamas to accept it and begin the process of releasing captives.
The proposal, which calls for a six-week ceasefire in phase one before a transition to a permanent ceasefire, has drawn mixed messages from Israeli officials, with Netanyahu claiming he is still committed to “eliminating” Hamas before ending the war.
The statement goes on to say that the Biden-outlined ceasefire deal is the “necessary starting point” to end the war and calls on both Israel and Hamas to make whatever comprises are necessary to finalise it.
“This agreement would lead to an immediate ceasefire and rehabilitation of Gaza together with security assurances for Israelis, and Palestinians, and opportunities for a more enduring long-term peace and a two-state solution,” says the statement.
“It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point,” it adds.
Joint statement puts pressure on Israel, Hamas, but still ‘no breakthrough’
The joint statement is very clearly designed to put pressure on Israel and Hamas. But what we’re hearing from Egyptian sources is that there is no breakthrough so far in the ceasefire talks.
The two sides [Israel and Hamas] have a lot of distance between them. Hamas quite clearly want a permanent ceasefire, while Israel wants the option, if Hamas breaks the deal, to go back to war.
Israel’s got a lot of domestic pressure as well. This is not popular with the far-right coalition, the people who actually make up Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and are keeping him in power. They are completely against any kind of three-phase deal that US President Joe Biden has proposed.
It’s also going to be very difficult for Netanyahu to stomach the words two-state solution. He’s been against that for a very long time… and it’s going to be an incredibly tough sell to his coalition.
But this is likely just the beginning of a wave of international pressure designed to get the two parties at least around the table.
Ben-Gvir calls for war against Hezbollah
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for a war against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and to invade Lebanon in comments carried by Israeli newspaper Maariv.
It quoted Ben-Gvir as saying: “We want to see the abductees, but the deal to release them is illegal and raises the white flag and stops the war.”
Gantz tells mayors in northern Israel ‘be ready for tougher days’, possibly war: Report
War cabinet minister Benny Gantz has travelled to northern Israel after a spate of bloody Hezbollah rocket attacks there and warned of “tougher days” ahead, reports Israel’s Channel 12.
According to the report, Gantz met with the mayors of several northern towns close to the line of contact and told them: “Don’t complain about the present, because the future could be more problematic.”
“Get ready for tougher fights, get ready for tougher days here, it can get us to war,” Gantz said.
Yesterday, Hezbollah fired a series of drones at the Israeli town of Hurfeish, killing one soldier and injuring at least seven people. The Israeli military said it failed to sound sirens ordering people to shelters.
Israeli writer criticises government policies leading to soldiers being ‘killed in vain’
In a speech during a demonstration against Netanyahu’s government in the Israeli city of Modi’in, Israeli philosopher and researcher Asa Kosher, author of the “IDF Code of Ethics”, has criticised Israel’s policies, calling them a “major disaster” that leads to the “absurd” death of Israeli soldiers.
Israel’s Channel 14 published a video of Kosher’s speech in which he calls for elections in order to “cleanse” the “moral filth” in the current government.
“The great catastrophe in a soldier’s life is death, and this stupid slogan that it is good to die for our country, has never had moral value, real roots,” he said.
He said Israeli military operations are extended as much as possible in order to prolong the life of the “ruling fraudulent regime”, in which case the goals and tasks are unfair, noting that soldiers are “killed in vain” to serve the personal ambitions of the prime minister.
“When they die in vain it is the great disaster that can befall them because they are not only killed, they are killed in vain, and it is difficult to say that, but we have to say it,” he said.
אסא כשר, מחבר הקוד האתי של צה"ל: "חיילים מתים לשווא. רע למות בעד ארצנו. נילחם בממשלה כאילו אין חמאס. בחירות ינקו את הזוהמה"#ריקלין_וסגל@Riklin10 @ErelSegal @riklinsegal @IshayFridman pic.twitter.com/QTYU7c18Yj
— עכשיו 14 (@Now14Israel) June 5, 2024
