President Joe Biden pushed for a new ceasefire agreement on Friday that included a hostage exchange and an end to Israeli hostilities in Gaza, and criticized some Israeli leaders who he said wanted to “keep fighting for years.” .
The president’s remarks apparently left the door open for Hamas to remain the ruling authority in Gaza — a point of contention for Israel, which has rejected ceasefire agreements that did not include the group’s destruction or removal from power. Hamas said it would not participate in negotiations amid Israeli military operations, although said Thursday that he was “prepared to reach a comprehensive agreement” that included an end to the war.
On Friday, Israeli authorities confirmed that the country’s military forces were on the ground in the center of Rafah, a southern city that had previously become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing the Israel Defense Forces advancing in the north. Biden had said previously a raid on Rafah would mark a red line that, if crossed, would lead the United States to stop supplying weapons to Israel, but he made no mention of such a line on Friday.
More than 36,000 Palestinians have died in the war since October 7, when militants from the Gaza Strip invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage. The cost of Israel’s retaliatory military operation became even clearer on Sunday when an Israeli strike dead dozens of Palestinians seeking refuge in a camp in Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this attack a “mistake,” but other Israeli attacks have killed people. dozens of Palestinians in camps near a field hospital and a United Nations facility, highlighting the continuous danger to the Palestinians, no matter where in the Gaza Strip they flee.
Biden on Friday referred to “terrible images” of the aftermath of Sunday’s attack in Rafah, but repeated Israel’s claim that it was targeting Hamas. He also acknowledged that “thousands of children” had been killed in Gaza.
The deal outlined by Biden was similar to those proposed in the past, in which hostages held in Gaza and Palestinians imprisoned in Israel would have been released. However, with the exception of a brief period in November that included such an exchange, negotiators could not agree on the terms of any pause or end to the fighting.
The president introduced the plan by saying that Israel had offered it, but then said he had “urged the leadership in Israel to support this agreement.”
The agreement outlined by Biden on Friday included a temporary six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza, which in turn would become a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and “the permanent cessation of hostilities ” if the deal continued according to plan.
In exchange, he said, captives in Gaza, including Americans, would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Initially, this exchange would include “women, the elderly and the injured, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners”. Eventually, he said, the exchange would include male Israeli soldiers and the remains of hostages who died. A “surge” in humanitarian aid would begin “immediately” if the deal was agreed, Biden said, and Palestinians could “return to their homes” across the Gaza Strip.
“There are a number of details to negotiate” between the first and second phases of the agreement, Biden acknowledged, before saying the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations continued. The third and final phase of the agreement would include “a major reconstruction plan” for Gaza and the final return of any hostage remains.
Hamas’s future is vague under the agreement
Biden said near the beginning of his brief remarks that one of the principles guiding America’s role in the ceasefire negotiations was creating “a better next day in Gaza without Hamas in power.”
However, he did not say that the agreement he outlined would require Hamas to leave power.
“Right now, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7th, which is one of the main objectives of the Israelis in this war, and frankly fair,” said Biden, after describing Hamas forces as “devastated”. by Israel. He said a future “reconstruction of Gaza” would be done “in a way that does not allow Hamas to rearm.”
He said separately that “Israel will always have the right to defend itself against threats to its security and to bring those responsible for October 7th to justice. And the United States will always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself. If Hamas does not fulfill its commitments under the agreement, Israel may resume military operations, but Egypt and Qatar have assured me, and continue to work to ensure, that Hamas will not do so.”
Indeed, Hamas’ status in Gaza – and not just its ability to carry out another massive ground attack against Israel, as happened on October 7 – has been a main point of contention in previous attempts to negotiate a ceasefire.
Earlier this month, indicated reports that Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire agreement involving an exchange of hostages and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but that Israel had rejected the agreement because it allowed the continued existence of Hamas. Netanyahu he said at the time, “Israel will not allow Hamas to restore its evil regime in the strip. Israel will not allow it to rebuild its military capabilities.” Netanyahu said previously, “The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas.”
Notably, after Biden’s speech, a statement in English from Netanyahu’s office reiterated Israel’s demand that Hamas’ “governing capabilities” be destroyed along with its military capabilities – a demand that Biden had not presented in his own remarks.
“The Government of Israel is united in its desire to return the hostages as quickly as possible and is working to achieve this goal,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister authorized the negotiating team to present a proposal to that end, which would also allow Israel to continue the war until all of its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas’ military and government capabilities. including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to defend these principles.”
Hamas said in a statement that it viewed Biden’s speech “in a positive light” and that it would work towards “any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, the return of displaced people to all their places of residence and in concluding a serious prisoner exchange agreement if the occupation declares its explicit commitment to this”, according to Barak Ravid of Axios.
Biden criticizes hard-line Israelis
The president also criticized hard-line Israelis in his comments, saying they were pushing for “years” of fighting.
“I know there are people in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely,” Biden said. “Some are even in the government coalition. And they made it clear that they want to occupy Gaza, they want to continue fighting for years and the hostages are not a priority for them.”
“Well, I have urged the leadership in Israel to support this agreement despite any pressure that may arise,” he said. “We cannot lose this moment. Indefinite war in pursuit of an unidentified notion of “total victory” will only bog down Israel in Gaza, drain economic, military and human resources, and increase Israel’s isolation in the world.”
In the long term, Biden said, Israel’s acceptance of the deal would lead to “a potentially historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia” – a priority for the Biden administration, HuffPost reported.
Later in the speech, Biden referred to Hamas’ calls for a ceasefire and said, “This agreement is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean business.” He separately addressed “all who want peace now,” urging them to pressure leaders to accept the deal.
Still, he made no mention of the conditions of American support – political, monetary or through military supplies – if Israel continued its military operations in Gaza.
