Netanyahu's Advisor: Biden's Plan for Gaza is 'Not a Good Agreement' but Israel Will Accept It

On Sunday, June 3, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel has accepted a framework to end the Gaza war proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden, stating that 'while this plan is incomplete' and requires 'much more work.' Ofir Falk, Netanyahu's senior foreign policy advisor, said in an interview with the Sunday Times of Britain that Biden's proposal was 'an agreement we have agreed to, although it is not a good agreement, but we really want the hostages to be released, all of them.' He noted that 'a lot of details need to be reviewed,' adding that Israel's conditions, including 'the release of hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organization,' have not changed. Biden presented his three-phase plan for establishing a ceasefire and releasing hostages on Friday. He stated that the first phase includes a ceasefire and the return of some hostages held by Hamas, after which the parties will negotiate about the indefinite cessation of hostilities in the second phase, during which remaining live hostages will be released. Reuters reports that this sequence suggests that Hamas will continue to play a role in negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar, setting the stage for a potential conflict with Israel, which is determined to resume operations aimed at eliminating this Iran-backed Islamist group. Israel insists that it will only discuss a temporary halt to the war until Hamas is destroyed. Hamas, which does not want to show flexibility, states that it will only release hostages on a path to a permanent end to the war. Biden, in his speech, said that his recent proposal would create a 'better day' in Gaza without Hamas in power. He did not provide further details on how this would be achieved and acknowledged that 'there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to two.' Falk reiterated Netanyahu's position that 'there will be no permanent ceasefire until all our objectives are achieved.' Netanyahu is under pressure to keep his coalition government intact. Two cabinet members, described by Reuters as 'far-right,' have threatened to topple the government in protest against any agreement that they believe would leave Hamas safe. In his remarks on Friday, Biden urged Israeli leadership to resist pressure from those in Israel pushing for an 'indefinite' continuation of the war. He added, 'They want to occupy Gaza. They want to continue the war for years, and hostages are not a priority for them. I have asked Israeli leadership to stand behind this agreement despite any pressure that may arise.' He urged Israeli leaders not to miss the opportunity for a ceasefire. The U.S. President emphasized that Hamas militants 'are no longer capable' of launching a large-scale attack on Israel like the one on October 7. He called on Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire for the release of about one hundred remaining hostages and the return of the bodies of about thirty killed hostages. However, Israeli officials have rejected the agreement as a return to the status quo before October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas, committed to the destruction of Israel, killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in an assault on southern Israel. Several countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, the European Union, Japan, and Israel, have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Biden's ceasefire proposal for Gaza has placed Netanyahu under increasing pressure domestically.