Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dampened expectations after U.S. President Joe Biden announced an Israeli-American roadmap to end the Gaza War on Friday evening, which was received with international acclaim.
During a Friday press briefing, Biden presented a three-stage plan that would begin with a complete ceasefire while the two parties continued to negotiate final details.
“It’s time for this war to end and for the day after to begin,” he said.
In a rare statement during the Jewish Sabbath, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) responded on Saturday.
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”
“Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
This followed a statement immediately after Biden’s speech on Friday. The PMO stressed that Israel’s government was united in working to return the hostages as soon as possible and that Netanyahu had authorized the presentation of a deal proposal to that end which included the goal of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
“The actual proposal put forward by Israel, including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to uphold these principles,” the statement read.
In his speech, Biden gave a detailed overview of the plan he said was offered by Israel and transmitted by Qatar to Hamas leadership.
Biden’s declaration was met with immediate international acclaim, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
In a first reaction by Hamas, the terror group stated it “looks positively” at Biden’s speech, after recently saying it wasn’t ready to resume negotiations while the war was still ongoing.
In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli government dismissed the plan and said Israel’s position had not hcanged.
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.
“Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place,” he continued. “The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
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