Understanding Biden’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
JVL Introduction
Joe Biden’s “new Israeli proposal” for ending the slaughter in Gaza is remarkably similar to the one Israel rejected in early March says commentator Mitchell Plitnick, former Co-Director of Jewish Voice for Peace.
So what is going on?
Clearly the mass demonstrations around the world have something to do with it. As is the defection of substantial sections of the Democratic party base who are currently too alienated by Biden’s Gaza policy to be actively canvassing for the Democratic nominee.
Biden needs to draw a line under this if he is to have clear run for re-election.
And the deal would allow Israel to claim that so many of Hamas’ fighters had been killed it can never again mount another October 7th i.e. to claim victory.
The truth, however, says Plitnick is that “the entire proposal makes it clear that Israel and the United States lost. The truce that might take hold has been on the table since last year in one form or another. A lot of Palestinian lives, as well as some Israeli ones, could have been saved.”
RK
This article was originally published by Mondoweiss on Sat 1 Jun 2024. Read the original here.
Understanding Biden’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
While the details of Joe Biden’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire remain vague it does make one outcome of the fighting clear: Israel and the United States lost.
Loading article text…
The deal BIDEN’s announced is clearly in Biden’s interest – because it might improve his chances of still being US President after November – but is it in the interest of any of the other players who need to agree to it?
For starters, Biden’s track record means neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis will believe any guarantees the USA gives about upholding the terms of the deal if Israel decides to renege on it.
That means (horribly) neither the Palestinians nor Hamas can afford to give up their best bargaining counter (the hostages) UNTIL the new State of Palestine is set up on the 1967 borders, with sufficient international safeguards to protect it from any future attacks by Israel. Even at the speediest rate of progress it’ll be several years before that happens. While SOME hostages could be freed to facilitate the negotiations Hamas would be daft to agree to them all being freed.
The Biden approach doesn’t even try to reduce the distrust and hatred each party (the Israeli government and Hamas) feels for the other, it simply assumes the US and Israel can pick anybody they like as the representative of the Palestinian side. Hamas is the only relatively legitimate and popular representative the Palestinians have.
Attempting to bypass them means Biden’s deal won’t work. Pretending that it can work is a “con” against Israel.
Biden’s deal probably won’t even save Palestinian or IDF lives over the medium-term future. The risks of it falling apart at an early stage are very high. More carnage will follow.
I wonder how many, if any, hostages are still alive given Israeli bombing, destruction of health care, food and water, and what must be huge difficulties in Hama’s ability to hide them.
1st why are journalists ignoring the 2021 “Ceasefire” where Israel continued to massacre Palestinians and take even more land.. and
2nd the fact that Biden is obviously mouthing platitudes as he’s worried about losing votes.. he can never wash the stain of his actions that earned him the sobriquet of Genocide Joe, History will judge him , We do already.. ANY “Ceasefire” will be a SHAM as Israel and EVERY leader since its creation in 1945 has had just one agenda: to Wipe Palestine off the Map and even out of History Books..
3rd.. The Times Of Israel reported that on the 9th of October Hamas offered to release ALL the Hostages if Israel stopped its attacks on Gaza.. Israel said NO.. it was NEVER about hostages it was ALWAYS about the Land theft and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Inc the need to take possession of the GAZA Gas field as Israel had signed contracts with BP for the Rights to excavate the Oil & Gas with a canal to be built through Gaza to a new MEGA Port that was planned to take over as the main port in the region inc Egypt..
I’ve yet to see MSM mentioned any of this..