<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Netanyahu rejects ‘Israeli proposal’ for Gaza ceasefire</h1><p class="gmail-">Palestinians
called the ceasefire proposal a ‘US–Israeli game’ to allow the
‘occupation to resume the aggression’ that has killed over 37,000 people</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>JUN 24, 2024 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/netanyahu-rejects-israeli-proposal-for-gaza-ceasefire">https://thecradle.co/articles/netanyahu-rejects-israeli-proposal-for-gaza-ceasefire</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/1fa927be-3215-11ef-8c11-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="394" height="222" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Channel 14 in the first interview
he's given to an Israeli news outlet since October 7, on June 23, 2024.
(PHoto credit: Screenshot, Channel 14, used in accordance with Clause
27a of the Copyright Law)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p>Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 23 June said he rejects a
US-backed ceasefire deal with Hamas that would end the war in Gaza and
bring Israeli captives home.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/24/netanyahu-walks-back-gaza-hostage-ceasefire-proposal">interview</a>
with Israel’s Channel 14, Netanyahu was asked if he agreed to end the
war as part of a deal to exchange captives and said he didn’t. “I will
not stop the war and leave Hamas standing in Gaza,” he said.</p><p>Hamas
holds some 120 Israeli soldiers and civilians captive in Gaza. Israel
holds thousands of Palestinian civilians and resistance fighters in its
prisons and detention centers, where Palestinians are often tortured and
raped.</p><p>“I am ready to do a partial deal, it is no secret, that
will bring back some of the people. But we are committed to continue the
war after the pause in order to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas. I
will not give up on this,” Netanyahu added.</p><p>This marks the first
time Netanyahu has publicly rejected the deal, which, according to US
President Joe Biden, was an Israeli proposal.</p><p>The deal was heavily promoted by Biden and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/6/14/unpacking-blinkens-lies-on-the-gaza-ceasefire-negotiations">insisted</a> multiple times that Israel had formally accepted its terms. A UN Security Council was passed endorsing the deal and its terms.</p><p>On
Sunday, Netanyahu claimed his position opposing the deal “was no
secret,” but it was the first time he had spoken publicly about a
“partial deal” or suggested he hadn’t intended to implement all three
phases of the Israeli proposal.</p><p>If true, this indicates that
Blinken and Biden were lying when they claimed Israel had accepted the
ceasefire deal while at the same time blaming Hamas for not accepting
it.</p><p>Netanyahu stated further in the interview that he is not
willing to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state or allow Gaza
to be handed over to the Palestinian Authority. He instead suggested
the Gaza tribes would help govern Gaza while Israel retains security
control.</p><p>He added that Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts
against the different members of the Axis of Resistance, including Iran,
Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarallah, Iraqi and Syrian resistance
groups, and Palestinian resistance groups in the West Bank.</p><p>Regarding
the war with Hezbollah, Netanyahu stated, “We are obligated to the
return of the residents of the north, and after the end of the operation
in Rafah, we will send forces to the north. I will not keep the
situation as it is in the north. We are making our preparations, but I
cannot go into the details of our plans.”</p><p>In response to
Netanyahu’s interview, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) issued a statement saying the “War criminal Netanyahu
unequivocally confirms he does not want to stop the war due to narrow
calculations and rejects Biden’s proposal contrary to American claims.”</p><p>The
PFLP statement added, “This stance articulated by Netanyahu proves he
is the primary obstacle to a ceasefire agreement and suggests there is
an American–‘Israeli’ game to impose a ceasefire and prisoner exchange
without guarantees, allowing the occupation to resume aggression.”</p><p>Hamas
issued a statement saying that Netanyahu’s rejection of the deal “is a
clear affirmation of his rejection of the recent UN Security Council
resolution and the proposals of US President Joe Biden, contrary to what
the US administration tried to market as alleged approval by the
occupation.”</p><p>The statement added that “the terrorist occupation
government” is determined to continue “the genocide war against unarmed
civilians in the Gaza Strip.”</p><p>Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
issued a statement saying, “The reality of the battlefield in the Gaza
Strip dispels all of Netanyahu’s illusions, and the resistance is still
causing the enemy losses in lives and equipment.”</p><p>The PIJ
statement added, “The resistance is fine and is able to continue
confronting the aggression for many months. Netanyahu’s statements about
creating alternatives in the Gaza Strip are just dreams, and he has
failed to achieve all his goals.”</p><p>At the same time, the Commissioner-General of the Supreme Authority of Palestinian Tribes in the Gaza Strip, Akef Al-Masry, <a href="https://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A5%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%81%D8%B4%D9%84-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%AA%D9%87---%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%88--%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85">rejected</a>
any role in governing on behalf of Israel. He stated that Israel “has
not and will not be able to break the will of the Palestinian people in
their right to freedom, to get rid of the occupation, to establish a
Palestinian state, and to achieve the right of return.”</p></span></div></div></div></div>
</div>