‘Uncommitted’ move: Biden’s Israel roadmap ‘likely to fail’, calls for permanent ceasefire

The “uncommitted” national campaign pushing for protest votes against President Biden in the White House race says his support for a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza is a “welcome development” but “will likely fail ”.

On Friday, Biden announced the terms of a three-phase plan led by Israel to end the fighting and release all hostages, an important step toward a potential end to the war. He said the proposal was transmitted through Qatar to Hamas, the US-designated terrorist organization that governs the Gaza Strip.

“Biden’s endorsement of a six-week ceasefire is a welcome development, but it will likely fail as long as he arms [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s war crimes. We need a permanent ceasefire now,” Layla Elabed, a spokeswoman for the uncompromising movement, said in a statement.

Biden’s calls for Netanyahu to accept the deal show he is “slowly understanding the political consequences of his support for Israel’s horrific attack on Gaza,” but it is not enough, Elabed said.

The noncommittal movement, which grew out of a push in Michigan to urge Biden for a ceasefire, siphoned votes away from the president in several state Democratic primaries.

Progressives and American Muslims are frustrated with the administration’s actions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, as Biden tries to balance support for Israel’s right to defend itself and condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The uncommitted vote picked up at least five delegates in the Kentucky Democratic primary earlier this month and stands at 30 delegates total. While that’s well below Biden’s number of 3,613, it underscores the notable upset over the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“For months, Netanyahu has played Biden like a violin as the window to save lives – and the fate of American democracy – closes on us all,” Elabed said.

The first phase of the new Israeli proposal would include a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, as well as the release of several hostages – and would work until the “cessation of hostilities, permanently”. ” in phase two, Biden announced on Friday.

A major reconstruction plan for Gaza would begin in the third and final phase.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story