A senior Israeli official has disputed President Joe Biden's portrayal of Israel's cease-fire proposal, stating it was "not accurate.'
On Friday, Biden unexpectedly announced that he was presenting a truce proposal that Israel had made and mediators had passed to Hamas. However, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu grappling with conflicting pressures from Washington and hostage families on one hand and right-wing ministers threatening to topple his government on the other a senior Israeli official has questioned Biden's depiction of the cease-fire offer.
The official specifically contested the claim that Israel had agreed to a complete withdrawal of its troops from the Gaza Strip as part of a deal to free the hostages. "Israel has not altered its conditions to achieve a permanent cease-fire. That will only occur after our objectives, including the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, are met," the official stated.
The official also noted that while the White House portrayed the plan as originating from Israel, it was actually a proposal put forward by mediators that Israel had made amendments and changes to. "It's peculiar that they claim it's an Israeli proposal and simultaneously that Israel needs to agree to it," the official said. The official added that Israel was awaiting Hamas' formal response to the proposal.
Biden stated on Friday that the proposal had been sent to the militant group via Qatar, which has been facilitating talks for months. A spokesperson for Hamas said the group "views positively" what was included in Biden's speech. On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed that Hamas viewed the proposal positively and said that everyone was waiting for Israel to respond.
Biden stated that Israel had offered the "comprehensive new proposal" that would ultimately lead to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. The three-part plan, according to Biden, would include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of several hostages held inside the enclave since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. The first phase of the plan would also see a complete six-week truce.
Biden's speech has put Netanyahu under renewed pressure both domestically and internationally. Two of his right-wing ministers threatened to withdraw from the coalition that's keeping him in power if he agrees to the cease-fire deal outlined by Biden. Israeli media reported on Monday that Netanyahu was due to meet with his hardline national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, over his threats to quit the government.
Simultaneously, families of the Israeli hostages have intensified their demands for the government to make a deal that could secure the release of their loved ones. Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh has been held in Gaza since Oct. 7, said on Monday that the proposal outlined by Biden had left her hopeful but still cautious.
"You can't count your hostages until they are home and you are hugging them," she told NBC News in an interview in Jerusalem, adding: "I'd love to think that this is the beginning of the end."
Goldberg-Polin criticized Israeli government officials who argue that it is more important to continue the war than to bring the remaining hostages home. "If you believe in the righteousness to continue this, let's stop it for five hours, get out those 125, and you, you put your son, daughter, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, baby in there and continue your war with your people there," she said. "Our people have served their time in hell for nine months."
Over the weekend, the Biden administration also continued its pressure campaign. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war Cabinet member Benny Gantz late Sunday, telling both that he "commended" Israel for the proposal and that the onus was now on Hamas to accept it, according to a summary of the calls released by the State Department.
A cease-fire deal would bring a much-needed respite for Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel's military operation in Rafah has forced more than 1 million people to flee the southern city, the United Nations' main agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces said its troops were continuing "intelligence-based, targeted operations" in Rafah, after pushing deeper into the city despite U.S. warnings.
Despite Biden labeling it an Israeli proposal, Netanyahu has yet to respond publicly, and the country's official position was not immediately clear. NBC News has reached out to the Israeli prime minister's office for clarification.
His office released a statement on Saturday saying that Israel's conditions for ending the war had not changed, and that a permanent cease-fire was a "nonstarter" until they were met.
However, in an interview with Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, said that Israel was not rejecting the deal. It was "a deal we agreed to it's not a good deal, but we dearly want the hostages released," Falk said.
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