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US President Joe Biden said he was facing growing pressure and criticism for his support of Israel's war effort, in other words, that Israel had agreed to a proposal that would lead to a "long-term" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
At a White House press conference on Friday afternoon, Biden said Israel had presented a "new comprehensive proposal" to end the war. "This is a path to a lasting ceasefire," the US president told reporters.
Biden said the proposal includes three phases, the first of which would last six weeks and include a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all populated areas of Gaza. The first phase would include the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, including scores of hostages held in Gaza, including women and elderly people, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
"At this point, we have American hostages who will be released, and we want them to come home," Biden said, adding that Qatar had conveyed the offer to Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Telegram on Friday night, Hamas said it welcomed Biden's remarks and his call for a "permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of (Israeli) occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and prisoner exchange."
The group also said it was ready to respond "positively and constructively" to any proposals including those measures, as well as any proposals that include the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in the Gaza Strip, if Israel also "unequivocally" commits to the issue. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the Israeli prime minister had authorized his country's negotiating team to "present proposals" to achieve the goal of securing the release of prisoners held in the Gaza Strip.
The decision also allows "Israel to continue the war until all objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities," the statement said. “The current proposal put forward by Israel, including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to respect these principles. »
Pressure on Biden
Biden's announcement comes as efforts to achieve a ceasefire fail amid an Israeli military offensive on the southern Gaza town of Rafah that has forced the displacement of around a million Palestinians over the past month.
Israel's deadly attacks on Rafah have killed dozens of Palestinians and sparked global outrage. Israeli bombing of Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since the war began in early October.
The coastal enclave is also under Israeli siege, leading to severe shortages of food, water and other humanitarian supplies and raising warnings of famine. As the Gaza crisis deepens, Biden has faced widespread protests and criticism for his unwavering military and diplomatic support for Israel during the war.
The US president's policy has remained largely unchanged despite growing anger over Israeli offensives, including the recent deadly attack on Rafah, and warnings that he risks losing reelection because of his stance. A new poll released this week shows Biden has less than 20% support among Arab Americans, a key electorate in several swing states in the United States that could decide the next vote.
On November 5, Biden will meet his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. We expect a close battle. According to Israeli national security adviser Tsassi Hanegbi, experts say the Israeli war in Gaza could drag on for at least another seven months, which would hurt Biden's reelection prospects.
"The signs are clear. The writing is on the wall,” Josh Rubner, a professor in the Justice and Peace program at Georgetown University, told us this week.
“And if Biden decides to continue this type of brutal support for Israel for another seven months, it will not only result in the deaths of tens of thousands more Palestinians, but he will also lose the election. »
Speaking to us on Friday, Palestinian political scientist Nour Odeh said the proposal did not appear to differ “in any fundamental way” from those previously presented. But what's surprising is that Biden is "putting himself at risk," Odeh said.
"He said the United States will guarantee that Israel will defend its side of the agreement as long as the mediators are able to convince Hamas to accept the agreement and defend their side of the agreement," he declared.
“This is the first time we hear from the president of the United States, the most important ally of Israel, saying, ‘This deal is on the table, it’s good and everybody should take it.’ And I think it will be difficult for Hamas to resist the kind of pressure that will be applied on it, no doubt.”
On May 6, Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal by Egypt and Qatar that appears to be almost identical to the one Biden announced on Friday. Israeli leaders rejected that initiative. Next Steps
Biden said in a White House speech that phase two of the ceasefire plan would include the release of "all surviving hostages" in Gaza, a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area and a "permanent cessation of hostilities."
"I'll be frank with you here: There are many details that need to be discussed before we can move from phase one to phase two," he said. "But the proposal states that if the negotiations continue beyond the first phase, and if they continue for more than six weeks, the ceasefire will continue as long as the negotiations continue."
Biden added that the US will continue to negotiate in cooperation with Qatar and Egypt.
Finally, the third phase of the proposal would see a Gaza reconstruction plan launched and the remains of all killed prisoners returned to their families. While Biden said Israel had agreed to the plan, he noted that some Israelis, including members of Netanyahu's coalition government, would disagree with the proposal and call for a continuation of the war.
“They have been clear: they want to occupy Gaza. They want to keep fighting for years. The hostages are not a priority for them. Well, I urge Israeli leaders to uphold this agreement, regardless of any pressure,” Biden said.
