President Biden announced on Friday the terms of a Israeli-led proposal that includes a three-part roadmap toward an end to fighting and the release of all remaining hostages taken on Oct. 7, giving the strongest indication yet of a potential end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
“After intensive diplomacy carried out by my team, my many conversations with leaders of Israel, Qatar and Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. It’s a road map to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages,” Biden said.
He said that while the proposal has been transmitted to Hamas via Qatar, he indicated the U.S.-designated terrorist organization that runs the Gaza Strip had not yet formally accepted the plan.
“This is truly a decisive moment. Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a cease-fire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it. Hamas needs to take the deal,” Biden said.
Biden laid out the proposal in three phases. An initial phase would include a six-week ceasefire, then a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, and the release of all remaining hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7. It also includes parameters for internally displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and reconstruction efforts of the devastated coastal enclave.
During the six-week break in fighting, Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary arrangements to get to phase two but if those negotiations lasted longer than six weeks, the cease-fire would continue while plans were hashed out, Biden said.
“There are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two. Israel will want to make sure its interests are protected, but the proposal says [if the] negotiations take longer than six weeks from phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue,” he said.
“As long as Hamas lives up to its commitment, a temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, a cessation of hostilities permanently.”
