Netanyahu says he won't agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal

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https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-24-2024-f5de2ed8288ac3cdb02c4e9e2fbaeda1

Netanyahu says he won’t agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal

BY TIA GOLDENBERG AND SAMY MAGDY
Updated 4:06 AM EDT, June 24, 2024

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza was cast into doubt on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a “partial” cease-fire deal that would not end the war, comments that sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas.

In an interview broadcast late Sunday on Israeli Channel 14, a conservative, pro-Netanyahu station, the Israeli leader said he was “prepared to make a partial deal -- this is no secret — that will return to us some of the people,” referring to the roughly 120 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. “But we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas. I’m not willing to give up on that.”

Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time as Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over the latest cease-fire proposal, and they could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.

Netanyahu’s comments stood in sharp contrast to the outlines of the deal detailed late last month by U.S. President Joe Biden, who framed the plan as an Israeli one and which some in Israel refer to as “Netanyahu’s deal.” His remarks could f urther strain Israel’s ties to the U.S., its top ally, which launched a major diplomatic push for the latest cease-fire proposal.

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Magdy reported from Cairo.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

[lapucelle]

1. After keeping the world waiting for weeks, Hamas rejected the Biden proposal on June 11.

"Time for the haggling to stop": Blinken says Hamas didn't accept ceasefire deal

Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday that Hamas has not accepted the U.S.-backed proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal and presented "numerous changes" that go beyond its previous positions.

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Speaking from Doha after meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Blinken said: "Hamas proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table. Some of the changes are workable and some are not."

He argued the deal currently under discussion is almost identical to the one Hamas itself proposed on May 6. "It was a deal that Israel accepted and the world was behind. Hamas could have answered with a single word: 'yes.'"

"Instead, they waited almost two weeks and then proposed more changes, a number of which go beyond positions it has previously presented and agreed to. As a result, the war will go on and more people will suffer," Blinken said. "It's time for the haggling to stop and the ceasefire to start. Israel accepted the proposal as it is, Hamas didn't. It is clear what needs to happen," he said.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/12/blinken-hamas-gaza-hostage-ceasefire-proposal

[Lonestarblue]

2. Netanyahu knows quite well that he cannot eliminate Hamas.

But continued war will keep him from being tried for corruption. Now he’s making noises about Lebanon. How many wars does the US need to fund for Israel’s right-wing MAGA government?