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Right-wing allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have rejected a US-brokered ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza as a “total surrender” to Hamas and have threatened to topple the Israeli government if the proposal is implemented.
US President Joe Biden on Friday outlined an agreement to halt fighting and free Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, with Biden saying the ultimate goal was to end the conflict.
After the Sabbath on Saturday night, two far-right officials from Netanyahu's ruling coalition warned the longtime prime minister not to accept the “reckless” deal and called for the war to continue until Hamas was “totally eliminated.”
The proposal “is a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement.
“Agreeing to such an agreement would not be a complete victory, it would be a complete defeat,” he added, threatening to “dissolve the government.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would not join a government that agreed to “end the war without destroying Hamas and returning all the hostages.” He criticized proposals to withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza, release Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and allow displaced people in the destroyed northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes.
“We demand that the fighting continue until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are returned,” he said.
The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, issued a joint statement on Saturday urging both Hamas and Israel to finalize the terms of the agreement as outlined by Biden. The three countries have been trying for months to broker an agreement to end the fighting in Gaza but talks have stalled due to fundamental differences between the warring parties, particularly over whether any cease-fire would be permanent.
The proposal would bring “immediate relief to both the long-suffering people of Gaza and to the hostages and their families. The agreement provides a roadmap to a permanent ceasefire and an end to the crisis,” the three countries added in a statement.
Biden said the three-phase agreement would begin with a six-week “full and total ceasefire” and would include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from “densely populated areas” of Gaza, the return of some hostages, including Americans, and the release of some Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase would see the release of all hostages, a “permanent cessation of hostilities” and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase involves the “reconstruction” of Gaza, aimed at broader stability in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office issued two non-binding statements saying: “Israel's conditions for ending the war remain unchanged: the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities, the release of all hostages, and a guarantee that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
Netanyahu's office added: “We insist that these conditions be met before a permanent ceasefire can be implemented. The idea that Israel would agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are met does not hold water.”
In a statement, Hamas said it “views Biden's speech positively” and was “ready to respond constructively to any proposals based on a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal.” [of Israeli forces] Reconstruction from the Gaza Strip [of Gaza]the return of displaced persons, and the conclusion of a genuine prisoner exchange agreement” can be achieved so long as Israel “unequivocally expresses its commitment to such an agreement.”
As pressure against the ceasefire proposal grows within Netanyahu's own coalition and right-wing support base, opposition leader Yair Lapid on Saturday reiterated his offer to provide a “safety net” for the ruling coalition in case Ben-Gvir and Smotrich defect from the party.
“The Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden's important speech. The agreement is on the table and it must be implemented,” Lapid wrote on X.
Tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night for their weekly demonstration calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war. Around 125 people remain in captivity, and Israeli authorities believe about a third have died.
“We support the Netanyahu agreement! Send them home now!” they shouted.
