Outrageous Deception to Force Ceasefire?

In his announcement of the latest ceasefire proposal on Friday, Joe Biden claimed it was put forward by Israel. He described it as a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages, raising the hopes of many people.

Biden’s announcement caused a fierce debate among Israel’s politicians, and their reactions soon revealed that some do not agree with the content of this ceasefire proposal, as it does not meet two of their three main objectives in the war.

So, the question arises, ‘Whose proposal is it?’

On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that there were gaps between the proposal Joe Biden announced and Israel’s stance.

Then on Tuesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasised that Israel “has accepted” the proposal, and that “the ball is in Hamas’s court.” But if Israel has accepted it, that implies they didn`t produce it.

Also on Tuesday, US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller held a press conference in which he repeatedly described the proposal as “almost identical” to one that Hamas accepted several weeks ago, when Egyptian negotiators changed an earlier proposal put forward by the Israelis. That makes the latest one even less likely to be put forward by the Israelis because Hamas want an immediate ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Political analyst Caroline Glick says that the detail of Biden’s announcement reveals the Israelis did not produce this proposal and that the US Government is “trying to force Israel to capitulate.”

And that view seems to be confirmed by the news that the United States has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council to insist that Hamas accept the proposal to secure a swift implementation of a ceasefire.

All of this indicates that Joe Biden’s Administration may be engaging in an outrageous deception by which they hope to force Israel to stop the war.

Amid his attempts to force Benjamin Netanyahu to accept, Joe Biden has drawn heavy criticism over his reply in an interview with Time magazine. When asked whether Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation, Biden said, "There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”