Currently, Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is torn between the imperatives of security and the exigencies of political survival.
Pressure is mounting on his government after President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire proposal, which he called an “Israeli” truce deal and urged Hamas to accept it.
The proposal entails a three-stage plan. The initial stage calls for a six-week ceasefire, during which the Israeli military would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza.
This would be followed by an exchange of prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid to alleviate the dire conditions facing Gazans.
Finally, a permanent ceasefire would pave the way for the reconstruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, decimated by Israeli airstrikes.
Hamas reacted “positively” to the U.S President’s statements but Netanyahu gave a half-hearted response
While others, including Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, are pushing for the prime minister to accept the proposal, right-wing Ministers, in whose hands political career rests, are threatening to leave the government if there is a ceasefire, which will result in the dissolving of this coalition government that Netanyahu has needed to stay in power.
“The deal … means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal to destroy Hamas. This is a reckless deal that constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the state of Israel,” said National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Ultimately, the ceasefire proposal presents Netanyahu with a daunting dilemma: to prioritize national security imperatives or succumb to the political pressures of a fragile coalition government.
He is stuck between both sides.
In an interview with a news agency, Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy adviser, said that Biden’s proposal was “a deal we agreed to – it’s not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them”.
“There are a lot of details to be worked out,” he said, adding that Israel’s conditions include “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organisation.”
Meanwhile, the Nir Oz Kibbutz, where 77 people were killed during Hamas’s October 7 attack and 36 were taken as captives, issued a letter to Netanyahu, appealing to him to accept the proposal for a ceasefire presented by US President Joe Biden.
“Don’t abandon us again. Let us restore life and bury the murdered with dignity,” they said.
Proposal Garners 40 Percent Support
An opinion poll conducted by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation shows that 40 percent of Israelis support the proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza announced by Biden.
Twenty-seven percent oppose the plan.
Biden’s initial support for Israel’s right to defend itself after the 7 October attack has given way to censure of the suffering and death in Gaza after widespread criticism at home over his position on the war.
However, the US remains the Jewish state’s most important ally and principal weapons supplier.
Being seen to broker an end to the conflict in Gaza would be a foreign policy boon for Biden, who is facing an uphill battle for re-election in November.
Political analysts would probably be talking about some sort of compromise deal that allows Israel to accept Biden’s proposal, even though Biden framed it as an Israeli proposal.
Maybe they will agree to the first phase and say: “If that goes well, then we’ll do the second, then we’ll do the third,” but they won’t agree to all phases at once.
Additionally, 32 percent of Israelis believe that the country’s army will dismantle Hamas and 42 percent believe that it will continue to control the Gaza Strip.
Finally, 55 percent of Israelis support expanding war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah to the country’s north.
Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been involved in exchanges of fire since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has led to the evacuation of residents of northern Israel.
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