Protesters gather in Richmond Terrace after a “United we Bring Them Home” march in central London on June 2, 2024, to bring attention to the plight of the hostages still held in Gaza. (Henry Nicholls, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
JERUSALEM (Tribune News Service) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that there would be no permanent cease-fire in the war against Hamas in Gaza until the country’s conditions are met, which include the destruction of the militant group.
Israel is willing to pause hostilities for the purpose of returning hostages, but what happens next will be subject to further talks, Netanyahu said Monday in a meeting with parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to his office. A proposal presented by President Joe Biden on Friday for a permanent cease-fire was only part of the package and there were details he didn’t make public, Netanyahu said, without being more specific.
Israel is working on “countless ways” to bring back hostages held by Hamas since the start of the near eight-month war, the prime minister said in a separate statement. Ensuring their safe passage back from Gaza would be possible while also eliminating the Iran-backed group, he said.
His comments raise further questions about the three-phase peace plan laid out by Biden, which he said had been put forward by Israel. That proposal detailed a six-week truce involving an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, followed by focus on an Israeli withdrawal of troops and permanent cease-fire.
Netanyahu was quick to push back against the idea he’s on board with that plan over the weekend, saying the destruction of Hamas’ governing and military capabilities remains a non-negotiable target, but one not specifically mentioned in the outlines of the plan released by the White House.
The Israeli prime minister is under pressure from right-wing allies who have threatened to leave his ruling coalition and bring down the government if he agrees to end the war without dismantling Hamas. At the same time, more than 100,000 people demonstrated in Israel over the weekend, calling for an end to the war.
While the White House has tried to highlight that Hamas is now unable to repeat an attack similar to Oct. 7 — when militants killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages — Netanyahu’s government insists Hamas must be deprived of any aggressive capacity. More than 35,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s subsequent campaign, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza.
The gaps between Biden and Netanyahu on how to reach a cease-fire will be dissected in the coming days as the Israeli leader is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on June 13, according to a person familiar with the situation.
U.S. officials on Monday, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, called on Hamas to accept the proposal, as did the Group of Seven.
Sullivan, speaking at an event in Washington, D.C., said Israel had shown “a willingness to step forward and do a deal,” and Hamas must now “come to the table.” The group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, has said it’s ready “to deal positively and constructively with any proposal” based on an indefinite stop to the conflict.
Akayla Gardner, Skylar Woodhouse, Zach C. Cohen and Billy House contributed to this report.
