Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed and all hostages are released. His statement comes after US President Joe Biden announced Israel had proposed a three-stage plan to Hamas aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire. A senior Hamas politician has told the BBC it “will go for this deal” if Israel does. The negotiations come as fighting continues in Rafah, with reports of Israeli air strikes on Saturday in the city on Egypt’s border with Gaza. There is no guarantee that the public pressure by Mr Biden on both Israel and Hamas to accept the plan will result in a deal.
Biden needs to mandate a reassessment from the State Department immediately.
After news of suppression of intelligence, Biden proposed the ceasefire. The agreement would have allowed him to have direct oversight of the negotiations between Israel and Hamas and ensure they remained within international law.
Without the ceasefire, he’s back to relying on a compromised intelligence report and congressional support for munitions supply. Deviation from both of these branches would certainly land him in an impeachment trial for acting in bad faith.