Fierce Debate over Ceasefire Proposal

President Biden’s surprise announcement on Friday about the latest ceasefire proposal has prompted fierce debate within Israel and exposed political rifts within the country. From the outset there was confusion about why Joe Biden made the announcement and whether there was anything new in this latest proposal.

Despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Saturday that Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed, both National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said they will withdraw their parties from the governing coalition if it accepts this proposed ceasefire.

That prompted Yair Lapid to repeat his offer of keeping Benjamin Netanyahu in power by joining the governing coalition with his Yesh Atid Party. Lapid is strongly in favour of accepting the ceasefire proposal, as are tens of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets of major Israeli cities on Saturday evening.

But among all the different statements and opinions, analysts now think President Biden had multiple objectives in announcing this proposal on Friday, many of them to do with his own political interests.

First, he would like to gain a major foreign policy success ahead of the US presidential elections in November. Second, he would like to regain support from pro-Israel Democrats who believe he has reduced US support for Israel. Third, he wants to appeal to younger Democrats who are critical of Israel and the war with Hamas. Fourth, he wants to present himself as a credible partner for peace in the Middle East.

This report from All Israel News: