U.S. President Joe Biden announced a three-phase peace plan to cease fire in Gaza, describing it as an Israeli plan. However, there are unclear aspects regarding the plan, its timing, and its presentation. President Biden states that the plan is Israeli, and Netanyahu's office claims it "approved" it, but yesterday, Netanyahu said in a statement that a ceasefire in Gaza can only occur after destroying the military and leadership capabilities of "Hamas."
Netanyahu asserted that "Israel's conditions to end the war have not changed; they include dismantling Hamas's military capabilities, dismantling its leadership, releasing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel." He added that "Israel will remain adamant about meeting these conditions before reaching a permanent ceasefire. The idea that Israel would agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are met is not on the table."
These statements imply that there was no prior agreement on the plan as Biden proposed. Furthermore, Netanyahu's remarks may be aimed at strengthening his domestic position, as he faces both external and internal pressures, whether from the opposition or his right-wing allies.
Moreover, Biden's four-and-a-half-page plan presents a roadmap without clear details on how to navigate through the three phases, and those details are significant. Those familiar with the plan will see that the first phase involves a ceasefire, the release of a limited number of hostages, and an Israeli withdrawal, accompanied by talks with "Hamas" to progress to the next phase.
The second phase entails the release of all hostages and complete Israeli withdrawal, which Biden referred to as a phase to achieve "a permanent end to hostilities," necessitating negotiations that could take over six weeks. In the third phase, according to Biden, the "major reconstruction plan for Gaza" will commence, and any remains of the deceased hostages who were killed will be returned to their families.
Here, questions outnumber the answers, including: who will govern Gaza during the implementation of these phases? Despite "Hamas" stating that it views Biden's plan positively, referencing that it resembles what "Hamas" had previously accepted... would Israel accept a return of "Hamas" to govern the Gaza Strip? Netanyahu says no. Will "Hamas" agree to relinquish Gaza that easily? Certainly not. If the goal is for Gaza to be governed by the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to be the case, is the Authority part of the negotiation teams according to the plan announced by Biden?
Another point, as stated by Biden, is that achieving these three phases requires serious and arduous negotiations. Is Washington prepared for that? Clearly not, as all Biden wants now is a ceasefire and to focus on his election campaign, viewing the remaining issues as mere details.
Thus, it is evident from this plan that it is an initiative dropped from a "parachute," and not the result of prior agreement and commitment from all parties. I hope I'm wrong, but things are not that simple, especially considering that the ultimate negotiators are Sinwar and Netanyahu.
