Netanyahu walks back proposal for Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal endorsed
by Biden
Barak Ravid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference
at the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre on June 8, 2024 in Ramat Gan,
Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference
on Jun. 8, 2024 in Ramat Gan, Israel. Photo: Jack Guez -Pool/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he is interested in
a "partial deal" with Hamas that will free "some of the hostages" held in Gaza
and allow Israel to continue fighting in the enclave.
Why it matters: Netanyahu's remarks walk back an Israeli proposal for a
three-phase deal that would lead to the release of all remaining 120 hostages
and to "sustainable calm" in Gaza.
More than 37,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local
health officials.
Netanyahu's comments contradicted statements by Biden administration
officials who in recent days said Netanyahu and his aides had reiterated their
support for the proposal.
In recent weeks, Netanyahu's radical right-wing coalition partners,
ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to
leave the coalition and topple the government if the proposal turns into an
agreement.
Flashback: The proposal was approved by the Israeli war cabinet in late May
and was presented publicly by President Biden in a speech on May 31.
The Biden administration mobilized broad international support for the
proposal and managed to get the UN Security Council to pass a resolution
endorsing it.
Hamas officially responded to the proposal nearly two weeks after Biden's
speech. The group asked for changes in the proposal and raised new
demands that went beyond its own previous positions, U.S. Secretary of
State Antony Blinken said on June 12.
Blinken said at the time that while Israel accepted the proposal, Hamas didn't
Driving the news: Netanyahu remarks were part of an interview with Israel's
Channel 14, a pro-Netanyahu television channel.
When Netanyahu was asked if he agreed to end the war as part of a hostage
deal he said he didn't. "I will not stop the war and leave Hamas standing in
Gaza," he said.
"I am ready to do a partial deal, it is no secret, that will bring back some of
the people. But we are committed to continue the war after the pause in
order to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas. I will not give up on this," he
added.
Between the lines: Netanyahu claimed his position "was no secret" but it was
the first time that he spoke publicly about a "partial deal" or suggested he
hadn't intended to implement all three phases in the Israeli proposal.
The White House declined to comment about Netanyahu's remarks.
What they're saying: The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, an NGO
that represents most of the hostages' families and is pushing for their
release, attacked Netanyahu for his remarks.
"We strongly condemn the Prime Minister's statement in which he walked
back from the Israeli proposal. This means he is abandoning 120 hostages
and harms the moral duty of the state of Israel to its citizens," they said.
Netanyahu's office responded with a statement that didn't deny he walked
back from the proposal.
"It is Hamas which opposes a deal, not Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has
made it clear that we will not leave Gaza until we return all 120 of our
hostages, living and deceased," Netanyahu's office said.
The other side: Hamas responded to Netanyahu's remarks and said it was
proof the Biden administration wasn't being truthful when it said Israel
agreed to the proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal.
"Netanyahu's position regarding his desire for a partial agreement in which
only some of the hostages will be released shows that he opposes the UN
Security Council resolution and President Biden's speech," Hamas said in a
statement.
The big picture: The Israeli Prime Minister's remarks are likely to increase
tensions between the Israeli government and the White House, which have
grown in recent days over Netanyahu's claims that the Biden administration
is withholding weapons from Israel.
Netanyahu said on Sunday at the start of a cabinet meeting that there was a
dramatic decrease in the munitions coming to Israel from the U.S. beginning
four months ago.
"For long weeks, we turned to our American friends and requested that the
shipments be expedited. We did this time and again. We did so at the highest
levels, and at all levels, and we did so behind closed doors. We received all
sorts of explanations, but the basic situation did not change. Certain items
arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind," he said.
Netanyahu claimed that only after there was no change in the shipments, he
decided to go public in order to "open the bottleneck".
A White House official pushed back on Netanyahu's new accusations.
"We aren't going to keep responding to the Prime Minister's political
statements. We look forward to constructive consultations with Defense
Minister Gallant in Washington this week," the official said.
What to watch: Gallant, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, will meet this
week with his counterpart U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, as well as
Blinken, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA director Bill
Burns and other senior officials.
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