New Gaza ceasefire proposal by Biden
New #Gaza #ceasefire proposal by U.S. president Joe #Biden.
How would #Israel respond?
CGTN’s Jonathan Regev has more from Tel Aviv.
How would #Israel respond?
CGTN’s Jonathan Regev has more from Tel Aviv.
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00:00U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled a new Israeli proposal to end the conflict in Gaza.
00:06The deal consists of three stages, which the president admits still has details to negotiate.
00:13The first phase of the plan involves a complete ceasefire.
00:16Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza, and there would be an exchange
00:21of some hostages and hostage remains for Palestinian prisoners.
00:26This phase would also include a surge in aid, with 600 trucks entering Gaza each day.
00:32The second phase focuses on a permanent end to hostilities and the return of all remaining
00:36hostages.
00:37Israeli forces would then entirely withdraw from Gaza.
00:41And the final phase, which sets this deal apart from previous proposals, is a major
00:46reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip.
00:49Well, let's talk to our correspondent, Jonathan Regev, who joins us now live from Tel Aviv.
00:54Jonathan, good to talk to you.
00:55What have we heard from Israel about this proposal so far, particularly how is Prime
01:01Minister Netanyahu reacting to it?
01:08So Andrew, two different reactions coming from the prime minister's office.
01:14One came last night, just minutes after the speech by U.S. President Biden, a statement
01:20out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office saying that Israel is committed to
01:24bring back all of its hostages and that the team which is holding the negotiations on
01:31behalf of Israel has been given a larger mandate to negotiate according to this plan.
01:37And another reaction coming this afternoon, stating that Israel still insists on the three
01:44main issues which it has insisted on all along.
01:47The first one being eliminating all of the governing and military powers of Hamas.
01:53The second one being bringing all of the hostages back.
01:56And the third one being making sure that Gaza is no longer a threat on Israel.
02:02Ironically enough, we've not heard any other comments from Israel.
02:06That is due to the fact that the Biden speech was given on Friday night already inside the
02:12Jewish Sabbath.
02:13And it's quite traditional in Israel that unless it's a major emergency, we do not hear
02:18a lot of public comments when it comes to the Jewish Sabbath.
02:23But the Sabbath will end in a few hours and then we can expect a lot of reactions, especially
02:29from the ministers coming from the far right.
02:32Those are being B'Tselel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, both far right figures and also
02:37religious figures who would not react on the Jewish Sabbath.
02:41But we can expect that to happen as soon as that is over.
02:44In about three hours, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are the leading figures which have opposed
02:50any deal which does not, according to their words, crush Hamas altogether.
02:57And this deal, if we look at the fine tuning of it, does not speak of basically eradicating
03:03Hamas off the face of the earth.
03:05And that is something that these two ministers have been asking for.
03:09Therefore, we can expect quite some opposition on their behalf to the deal proposed by U.S.
03:16President Joe Biden.
03:17On the other hand, we also have the regular Saturday night protests by the hostage families.
03:24They of course will endorse this deal because they see it as a path to receiving the hostages
03:30back, something that Israel has not seen for many, many weeks now.
03:34We know we're expecting to hear some kind of a statement from hostage families in just
03:39about an hour's time.
03:41So this main debate that has been practically dividing the Israeli society for seven and
03:47a half months now will enter another phase today.
03:51On the one hand, the ministers from the far right, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, we can expect
03:56them to release statements quite opposing this Biden deal.
04:00And of course, it may have political implications as basically the Netanyahu coalition, the
04:06Netanyahu government depends on these two ministers.
04:09On the other hand, hostage families and their supporters within the political arena and
04:14outside who would support such an agreement.
04:18And in between, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to decide.
04:22Indeed.
04:23Jonathan, thanks very much indeed.
04:24Jonathan Regev there live for us in Tel Aviv.