On Friday, President Joe Biden made a request for a peace and prisoner arrangement between Israel and Hamas, but the terms of the agreement repeat those that Hamas has now rejected in subsequent weeks.
Biden spoke after the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath in Israel, meaning that the Jewish state would not be able to listen to his opinions, at least publicly, for about 24 hrs.
He claimed that Israel had offered the new package, and that it had been transferred, via Qatari intermediaries, to Hamas. However, he later criticized people of the Israeli government who, he said, opposed the words.
According to The Times of Israel, it was not clear whether the Jewish authorities had really accepted the conditions.
The proposed package, Biden said, may include three phases:
- A six- year peace, in which some hostages had been released, including the five British hostages. A specific number of Palestinian detainees would be released by Israel. Israeli civilians would be able to return to their homes throughout Gaza, and those who needed it may receive humanitarian aid in droves.
- As long as speaks were continued, a permanent ceasefire would be in place, and it would continue for a while after the six-week deadline. If negotiations turned out to be successful, all captives who are still alive may be freed.
- A plan for the major restoration of Gaza had been implemented, and remains of deceased hostages returned.
These terms are interchangeable with those that have been debated for decades, including recently in Egypt. Has rejected these conditions, instead accepting a never-offered offer that would require Israel to end fighting before the victims were freed.
Hamas has so far been the source of contention for a bargain, insisting that Israel must agree to a permanent peace before releasing some of the victims.
Biden acknowledged that Hamas would not need to be fully defeated in order to make the request. But he argued:” At this point, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7th”.
He criticized skeptics of the Jewish government’s plan and alleged, without providing any proof, that” the victims are not a priority for them.” Biden also said that an Israeli achievement of the goal of” full success” may be fruitless, and had  ,” may only bog down Israel in Gaza”. After the war was over, he suggested that there might be a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Biden lauded the conviction of former president Donald Trump in New York as evidence that” no one is above the law” before opening his remarks. He said that it was “reckless” for anyone to suggest the trial had been “rigged”.
Why Biden felt the need to make a speech outlining a list of proposals that had already been made, if only as a pretext to respond to the Trump verdict without holding a press conference specifically for it.
Hamas may also feel new pressure as a result of the Israeli military operation in Rafah, and they may be more willing to negotiate. Israel now controls Gaza’s border with Egypt, cutting Hamas off from smuggling routes.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor- at- Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p. m. to 10 p. m. ET ( 4 p. m. to 7 p. m. PT ). He is the author of the recent e- book,” The Zionist Conspiracy ( and how to join it )”, now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e- book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U. S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
