Defiant Netanyahu doubles down on position for ending Hamas war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained defiant in the face of mounting pressure to accept President Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal with Hamas, calling the deal a “non-starter.”
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said Saturday. “The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
It’s the second time Netanyahu has dismissed Biden’s efforts to end the months-long war. On Friday, Biden urged Israel and Hamas leaders to get behind a proposed three-stage deal, which would include hostage and prisoner swaps during a six-week truce; negotiations toward a permanent armistice; Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza and eventually a “major reconstruction plan.”
World leaders, the families of the those taken hostage during the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas are pushing for Israel to come to the negotiating table.
“This might be the last chance to save lives. Therefore, the current state must be changed and we expect all to adhere to Biden’s call for accepting the deal on the table, immediately,” said Gili Roman, whose sister-in-law is currently held hostage by the terror group. “There is no other way towards a better situation for all.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid similarly called on Netanyahu to accept the call for a truce, promising a “safety net” for the prime minister’s majority in the Knesset if his far-right coalition partners subsequently ditched him over the deal.
“The government of Israel cannot ignore President Biden’s consequential speech. There is a deal on the table and it should be made,” Lapid wrote on X.
French President Macron also weighed in, insisting the war “must end.” In Egypt, “intensive efforts” were underway to “resume negotiations” between Israel and Hamas following Biden’s proposal, according to AFP, citing a report by state-linked Al-Qahera TV.
Even Hamas appears willing to consider the American plan.
“Hamas confirms its readiness to deal positively and in a constructive manner with any proposal that is based on the permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction [of Gaza], and the return of the displaced to their places, along with the fulfillment of a genuine prisoner swap deal if the occupation clearly announces commitment to such deal,” the group said.
But Netanyahu also found support for his tough stance. Late Saturday, far-right Israeli lawmakers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich threatened to leave their coalition with him and collapse the government if he signed on to Biden’s hostage deal, Axios reported.
In other news:
- The Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah bragged on Saturday it shot down an Israeli Hermes 900 drone in support of Gaza, claiming the pilotless plane had been targeting fighters’ and civilians’ homes in Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed a surface-to-air missile hit one of its drones that had been flying in Lebanese airspace.
- The Israeli military announced Friday that two more of its soldiers were killed amid the heavy fighting in Gaza. Since the start of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, nearly 300 troops have been killed.
- Israeli troops on Thursday struck a Gaza City building belonging to Al-Noor, a group that has provided millions of dollars to Hamas to finance its terror activity in the West Bank, the IDF said.
With Post wires
