Will Israel Agree to "Israeli" Ceasefire Proposal? Confusion Reigns After Biden Presents New Plan

this news is funded by viewers like you please support our work at democracynow.org mediators from the United States cter in Egypt are pressing Israel and Hamas to accept a proposed three-stage ceasefire and hostage deal that would include the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza on Friday President Biden outlined the proposed deal at the White House Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal it's a road map to an enduring ceas fire and the release of all hostages this proposal has been transmitted by cutter to Hamas today I want to lay out his terms for the American citizens and for the world this new proposal has three phases three the first phase would last for six weeks here's what it would include a full and complete ceasefire a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza release of a number of hostages including women the elderly the wounded in exchange for releas of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners there are American hostages who would be released at this stage and we want them home additional some remains of hostages who have been killed would be returned to their families bringing some degree closure President Biden described the ceasefire plan as an Israeli proposal but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet publicly backed it one of his AIDS said Israel's agreed to the framework of the deal but no official announcement has been made two far-right members of the Israeli government the Finance Minister bzal smotrich and national security minister itamar Ben gavier have threatened to leave netanyahu's government if he supports the truce proposal on Saturday tens of thousands of his IES led by relatives of hostages took part in protests calling on Netanyahu not to sabotage the ceasefire deal on Sunday families of hostages protested outside prime minister Benjamin nfu's office in Jerusalem and urged him to accept President Biden's peace deal this is Shay Dickman whose cousin is an Israeli hostage in Gaza I'm here to support my government in taking this deal the deal that netan now suggested our prime minister that we'll get all our people back home we are all here in support for the return of all hostages meanwhile US House speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress Senator Bernie Sanders slammed the idea of inviting Netanyahu at a time when the international criminal court is seeking his arrest for war crimes for more we go to London where we're joined by Danielle Levy president of the US Middle East project former Israeli Peace negotiator under Prime Ministers zud Barack and Yak Rin welcome back to democracy Now Daniel if you can start off by laying out what this plan is the significance of President Biden uh presenting this plan and where Netanyahu and Hamas stand on it thank you for having me back Amy this is significant because it's not something you can do you know every week for the president of the United States to say here's the plan I don't think he's done it at the most propitious moment I don't know why he's waited this long but there you have it he has set out this plan what he set out was various phases it's not something particularly new I think the crucial ingredients were that President Biden seemed to suggest that this is a package which is a permanent sustainable ceasefire in the context of the current hostilities that was a crucial missing ingredient the other thing was he suggested that this is an Israeli proposal curiously he then went on considering he said this was an Israeli proposal he then went on to outline why this was so advantageous to Israel and why therefore Israelis should accept their own proposal now Amy I'm a strong believer that there is sometimes a place for constructive ambiguity in order to advance something and sometimes one needs a bit of poetic license in other words where he gave the Israeli Victory narrative I don't think that was an accurate fle reflection of reality the balance of forces the balance of power but if that's what will get us to an end to these Horrors so be it that's Friday night we then have an initial Hamas response which so talks about this being positive and constructive we have Egypt's foreign minister today visiting Spain telling us that Hamas has viewed this positively I think for Hamas what they have suggested is the key is making clear that indeed this is the on-ramp to a permanent ceasefire we had a couple of strange tweets from the Israeli Prime Minister over the weekend in which he suggested well we've got our own conditions and then you had not only the ministers you've referred to Amy benav and smotrich but much of netanyahu's only could party unequivocally rejecting the deal and just now appearing before the Israeli Foreign Affairs and defense committee prime minister nanyu because I think this is important has said the following the deal uh will not stop the war will not stop the fighting it will bring a temporary ceas fire for 42 days to get the hostages out this directly contradicts should he stand by his word what President Biden said and so the question now is do you allow constructive ambiguity nahu having forcefully rejected this do you allow that to become duplicity and dishonesty or do you act differently the ball is back in President Biden's court so talk about hamas's response as well and again to be clear what we understand at this point the first stage proposes a six week ceasefire during which the Israeli Army would withdraw from the populated area of Gaza hostages including the elderly and women would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners civilians would also return to all of Gaza 600 trucks carrying humanitarian Aid flooding the uh Enclave daily um and then going on to the second phase where Hamas and Israel would negotiate terms for permanent end of hostilities and also even if smotri and benav benav who was not only charged with but convicted of terrorism um and supporting a terrorist group and inciting um anti-palestinian hatred um even if they were to leave the government that doesn't necessarily mean that the Survivor Netanyahu would fall which has often been said right if the other group the other parties came to his support right so that's a lot to unpack let's start where you started with the details of uh the plan by the way the plan has apparently been kept from the Israeli cabinet not the war cabinet but the broader cabinet in which the individuals you mentioned sit uh interesting in and of itself that plan there are the details that you mentioned what exactly will be the parameters of the IDF withdrawing from population centers can we actually get the humanitarian assistance in this time we've had all these Fantastical ideas of Seaport air drops why did we need to engage in these failed efforts we knew they would fail because Israel has closed off the land Crossings which is how you get normally the human itarian assistance the necessary Basics into Gaza that's one of the reasons that the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court has asked the court to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Galant on the Israeli side because of the use of starvation as a weapon of War so you've got the what are the details around getting the humanitarian uh assistance in what are the details of Palestinian prisoners to be released alongside those Israelis being held in Gaza that already is a lot that could unravel but what is I think even more crucial is what are the maximal guarantees that can be given that this is not just a 42-day hius followed by yet further death killing destruction that we still now see everyday Mass civilian killing events and that is where I think the the heightened tension exists between what appears to be needs to be put to the test the position of President Biden and the now clearly articula position of the Israeli government so I think that is where the focus is for the Hamas party because their position relatively uh clear and consistent uh has been full Israeli withdrawal and full end uh to the fighting now you know what exactly is the Hamas response well here we have an internal Hamas uh leadership quite difficult for that communication to take place as you and your listeners uh can imagine given the nature of the Warfare the the tunnels where people are located you have a leadership in Exile and so teasing out the final answer might take time but what Hamas seems to have said is we want a clear understanding of what is the commitment that phase one leads to phase two and it can't end at the end of phase one on nut and Yahoo side he now has uh an equation to deal with as you say he could conceivably have a majority in Parliament because gant's party and lapid's party have both said they will provide a safety net for nanyu uh if he takes the deal and that gives him the nums however and let's be clear gance and lapid have supported uh this war throughout they've had no quals about any of the violations of international law that has committed just so we correctly characterize those folks but they have said they will offer a safety net for this deal and that's important however that makes nanyu dependent on people who want to bring him down who want him out of power as well they should as the leaders putatively of the opposition therefore if he wants governmental stability he needs to stick with the original Coalition that he formed that was in power until October 7th that continues to be in power which includes his own party many of whom have opposed this deal and which includes these uh characters from the extreme right alongside his own extremists uh Ben and SMC and Natan yahu therefore this is the crucial thing he therefore looks at the proposal and says is it more risky politically for me to say no to Biden or to say no to benir and smrc and that is why I suggest to you that the question is for President Biden does he up the anti and make the cost of saying no greater or does he allow nanyu to stare him down and then Biden has the choice I can throw more goodies at the Israelis you know my the the Congressional invitation that's a goodie for Natan it's not just the Republican lead leadership it's Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeff signed on that Letter of Invitation do I try and package something more around this Saudi deal that is clearly not budging Israeli internal politics what more can goodies can I throw that's not going to work it's failed it's not our first rodeo when nanyu undermines and goes ahead and does what he wants and stares down the American president his other choice is to say you know what just as I kind of did in my speech blame Hamas then I can say to my American voting public I tried it was hamas's fault maybe it will work I suggest people who are following this closely will find it hard to see that as credible or he can up the anti and actually rather than have nanyu win this standoff escalate the cost to nanyu to the Israeli security establishment to the Israeli public and the Israeli voting system of continuing with this war continuing with the violations and war crimes that have being committed what about implementation I mean we saw what happened the ICC responds to the emergency request of South Africa and says yes Israel must pull out of Rafa and the next day Israel bombs this Tent City kills 45 people injures well over a hundred charred bodies everywhere how does this get implemented yes indeed the Court's decisions are not self- implementing it was the international court of justice that called for the provisional measures on two occasions now the international criminal court has has uh requested uh the issuing of arrest warrants on both the Hamas and the Israeli side in the absence of the ability for these decisions to be selfle implementing it rests on third party actors to try and make it costly not to implement those now the US is very well-versed in how do you make it costly for a party not to implement that sometimes works and it's sometimes doesn't work but it means that you align with the decision of the international court and I think the American voting public some of whom perhaps many of whom care about this issue deserve to know does a president seeking reelection who is apparently standing on a platform that I respect law does he also respect international law because his reactions to the international court of justice and the international criminal court have been criminally dismissive and therefore if Israel's most important Ally if the party providing the Weaponry without which none of this would have been possible including the latest horrors of Palestinians going to soall Safe zones which are nothing of the sort if that party is ready to dismiss and not abide by international law that's important to to know it may well be in violation of US law in doing this as well and does the American president therefore want to bring this to a close because if he does then rather than in a me mouthed way in a CNN interview saying well i' I'm reviewing uh one transfer of weapons he would actually make this costly whether that's the Weaponry whether that's other parties taking steps that America doesn't oppose look there's the Olympics next month uh a couple of months Israelis care about things as long as it's just rhetoric as long as Israelis don't see a tangible cost then I think it will be very difficult to budge the equation where Netanyahu says I can win this I can carry on I will get away with it and the US will continue to run cover for me you are a former Israeli Peace negotiator what do you see happening as we wrap up this discussion at this point the fact that speaking from a Podium President Biden laid this out this plan and suggested that Israel was supporting it and Hamas said they were open to it how serious is this the president has to prove its seriousness I don't dismiss that it was important uh that he set this plan out because he he he's kind of now you put in a trans transparent way this is the option if you want to get your hostages out there are good reasons for Israel to take this deal Israel may not be exhausted but it's overextended and there are elements of exhaustion there are less and less hostages alive if you want to see them home living that's why people many of the hostages families are out on the streets screaming if you don't want these International actions to continue then there is a path forward here however if the Israeli decision as it currently seems to be that this war should continue their military objectives are not going to be realized they have not been realized Hamas will not be vanquished in the way that nanahu suggests the Palestinians cannot be defeated militarily some of the fantasy day after plans are precisely that they are magical not realist thinking but if you want that equation to change then as the leading Israeli columnist n Bara has said in a column today he has said there will have to be internal and external pressure to change that equation so I fear that initially what we are already seeing is that nanyu will try and get away with poo pooing the American president's plan and trying to have the blame placed on Hamas will the US go along with this that's not a question question for nanyu that's a question for the administration the chance the chance that we actually see an end to these Horrors is if it's too costly for Netanyahu to continue we are not there yet I'm not suggesting Hamas will be an easy and negotiating partner but their position has been quite clear and consistent and their initial reaction to the Biden plan has followed suit Daniel Ley want to thank you for being with US president of the US Middle East project former Israeli Peace negotiator under Israeli Prime ministers a Barack and Yak Rabin up next as protest continue around the world we'll go to the Brooklyn Museum over thousand Pro Palestine protesters gathered on Friday a number were arrested back in 22s democracy Now is funded by viewers like you please give today at democracynow.org

Channel: Democracy Now!

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Keywords: Democracy Now, Amy Goodman, News, Politics, democracynow, Independent Media, Breaking News, World News

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Length: 18min 53sec (1133 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 03 2024