US President Joe Biden appeared in a briefing with reporters at the White House on Friday to be working hard to weaken America’s “unbreakable bond” with the State of Israel.
The president revealed the details of an Israeli proposal to mediators negotiating a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal with the Hamas terrorist organization that launched its war against Israel with an invasion and massacre of 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
Israeli officials have repeatedly declined to share the details of its proposal with reporters, maintaining that it is not helpful to conduct such negotiations via the media.
President Biden had no qualms about violating Israel’s trust on this very important and delicate matter on the altar of election politics and another attempt to overthrow the Netanyahu government — however politely it was phrased.
“I need your help. Everyone who wants peace now must raise their voices and let the leaders know they should take this deal,” he said.
Nor did Biden fail to once again slip in the requirement for Israel to accept a new terrorist state on its borders with the moribund “two-state solution” that would simply enable the Palestinian Authority to join Hamas in its mission to annihilate the Jewish State of Israel.
Here’s the transcript. It speaks for itself.
“I want to give an update on my efforts to end the crisis in Gaza.
For the past several months my negotiators of foreign policy and intelligence community and life have been relentlessly focused not just on the ceasefire that would inevitably be fragile and temporary but on a durable end to the war. That’s been the focus. A durable end to this war — one that brings all the hostages home, ensures Israel’s security, creates a better day after in Gaza without Hamas in power and sets the stage for political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Now after intensive diplomacy carried out by my team, my many conversations with leaders of Israel, Qatar and Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has now offered — Israel has offered — a comprehensive new proposal. It’s a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
This proposal has been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas. Today I want to lay out its terms for American citizens and for the world.
This new proposal has three phases. Three.
The first phase would last for six weeks. Here’s what it would include:
A full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages — including women, the elderly, and the wounded — in exchange for release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. For our American hostages who would be released at this stage we want them home. Additional some remains of hostages who have been killed for the return of their families, bringing some degree of closure to that terrible grief. Palestinians, civilians would return to their homes and neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, including in the north.
Humanitarian assistance would surge with 600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day. With a ceasefire that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it. Hundreds of thousands of temporary shelters, including housing units, could be delivered by the international community.
All that and more would begin immediately. Immediately.
During the six weeks of phase one Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary arrangements to get to phase two, which is a permanent end to the hostilities.
Now I’ll be straight with you, there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two.
Israel will want to make sure its interests are protected but the proposal says should the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar would work to ensure negotiations keep going — all agreements, all agreements, until all the agreements are reached — and phase two is able to begin.
Then phase two would be an exchange for the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers; Israeli forces will withdrawal from Gaza and as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, temporary ceasefire will become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, “the cessation of hostilities will be permanent,” end of quote.
The cessation of hostilities will be permanent.
Finally, in phase three, a major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence and any final remains of hostages who’ve been killed will be returned to their families.
That’s the offer that’s now on the table, and what we’ve been asking for. It’s what we need.
The people of Israel should know they can make this offer without any further risk to their own security because they’ve devastated Hamas forces over the past eight months. At this point, Hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7th, which is one of the Israel’s main objectives in this war and quite frankly a righteous one.
I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the government coalition, and they’ve made it clear they want to occupy Gaza, they want to keep fighting for years and the hostages are not a priority for them.
Well, I’ve urged the leadership of Israel to stand behind this deal despite whatever pressure comes.
And to the people of Israel let me say this: As someone who’s had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who’s ever gone to Israel in a time of war, as someone who just sent the US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back and think what will happen if this moment is lost.
It can’t lose this moment. Indefinite war in pursuit of an unidentified notion of total victory will not bring Israel, will not bring down, will only bog down Israel in Gaza, draining the economic, military and human resources and furthering Israel’s isolation in the world. That will not bring hostages home. That will not, not bring an enduring defeat of Hamas. That will not bring Israel lasting security.
But a comprehensive approach that starts with this deal, will bring hostages home and will lead to a more secure Israel. And once a ceasefire and hostage deal are concluded unlocks the possibility of a great deal more progress including including calm along Israelis’ northern border with Lebanon.
The United States will help Forge a diplomatic resolution, one that ensures Israel security and allows people to safely return to their home without fear being attacked.
With the deal, rebuilding of Gaza will began, Arab nations and international community along with Palestinian and Israeli leaders to get it done in a manner that does not allow Hamas to rearm.
The United States will work with our partners to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza, to help repair communities that were destroyed in the chaos of war. And with this deal Israel could become more deeply integrated in the region including — it’s no surprise to you all — including no potential historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Israel could be part of a regional security network to counter the threat posed by Iran.
All this progress would make Israel more secure, with Israeli families no longer living in the shadow of a terrorist attack. All this would create conditions for a different future — a better future for Palestinian people — one of self-determination, dignity, security, and freedom this path is available once the deal is struck.
Israel will always have the right to defend itself against the threats to its security, and to bring those responsible for October 7th to justice. And the United States will always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself.
If Hamas fails to fulfill his commitments under the deal, Israel can resume military operations but Egypt and Qatar have assured me and they are continuing to work to ensure that Hamas doesn’t do that.
The United States will help ensure that Israel lives up to their obligations as well. That’s what this deal says. That’s what it says. We’ll do our part.
This is truly a decisive moment. Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.
Hamas needs to take the deal. For months, people all over the world have called for ceasefire. Now it’s time to raise your voices and demand that Hamas come to the table, agrees with this deal and ends this war that they began.
Of course, there’ll be differences on the specific details that need to be worked out. That’s natural. Hamas comes to negotiate, ready to deal, then Israel negotiation must be given a mandate, the necessary flexibility, to close that deal.
Past eight months marked heartbreaking pain; pain of those whose loved ones were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. The hostages, their families are waiting in anguish. Ordinary Israelis’ lives are forever marked by the shattering event of Hamas’s sexual violence, ruthless brutality.
And the Palestinian people have endured sheer hell in this war. Too many innocent people have been killed, including thousands of children. Far too many have been badly wounded.
We all saw the terrible images from the deadly fire in Rafah earlier this week following an Israeli strike against targeting Hamas.
And even as we work to surge assistance to Gaza with 1,800 trucks to deliver supplies these last five days — 1,800 — a humanitarian crisis still remains.
I know this is a subject on which people in this country feel deep passionate convictions. So do I. It’s been one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world.
There’s nothing easy about this, nothing easy about it. Through it all, though, the United States has worked relentlessly to support Israeli security, get humanitarian supplies into Gaza, to get a ceasefire and a hostage deal to bring this war to an end.
Yesterday with this new initiative we’ve taken an important step in that direction. I want to level with you today as to where we are and what might be possible.
But I need your help. Everyone who wants peace now must raise their voices and let the leaders know they should take this deal, work to make it real, make it lasting, and forge a better future out of the tragic terror attack and war.
It’s time to begin this new stage, for the hostages to come home, for Israel to be secure, for the suffering to stop. It’s time for this war to end. For the day after to begin.
