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President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Middle East in the State Dining room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 31, 2024.
President Joe Biden on Friday announced a “comprehensive new proposal” from Israel for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, issuing one of his strongest calls for fighting to stop since the conflict began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
“It’s time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,” Biden said, urging Hamas to embrace the proposal.
The three-phase plan calls for an initial six-week cease-fire that would see Israeli troops withdraw from populated areas, the release of women and children hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a significant increase in aid deliveries.
But here’s the catch — the warring parties have to talk things out before moving on to the next phase. "I’ll be honest with you, there are a number of things to be negotiated to move from phase one to phase two," Biden said, but the cease-fire will continue as long as everyone stays at the bargaining table, even if it takes longer than six weeks.
During phase two, all living hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. In the final stage, the remains of deceased hostages would be returned and reconstruction of Gaza would begin.
Is this realistic? Negotiators from the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been pushing for a cease-fire for months, without success. It’s unclear if Hamas will agree to this proposal. There are also far-right politicians in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government who insist on seeing the war continue until Hamas is destroyed, however unattainable that goal may be. This helps explain why Biden urged Israeli leaders to “stand behind this deal” regardless of what political pressures they face.
In response, Netanyahu’s office on Friday said the Israeli government authorized its negotiation team to “present an outline” to see hostages held by Hamas released as soon as possible. But the PM’s team also said the war won’t end until all of Israel’s goals are achieved – goals that include “the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities.”