Netanyahu didn’t flip-flop on ceasefire, saw text only on plane — source

Jerusalem post ^ | 9/27/2024 | TOVAH LAZAROFF

[bert]

The US claimed that it believed that Netanyahu would consent to the ceasefire soon after it was issued, while Israel said there was no such expectation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t flip-flop on his response to a joint US-French call or a 21-day ceasefire along the Israeli-Lebanese border, a senior diplomatic source told Israeli reporters during a briefing in New York.

“We never agreed to it,” the source said.

He was one of two senior sources who briefed reporters about what appeared to be a deep division between the Biden administration and Israel over the best path forward to push Hezbollah away from Israel’s northern border and out of Southern Lebanon.

US believed Netanyahu would consent to the ceasefire The US claimed that it believed Netanyahu would consent to the ceasefire soon after it was issued, while Israel said there was no such expectation.

The disagreement created a situation where US officials were talking about a 21-day ceasefire that would soon go into effect. At the same time, Netanyahu spoke about the IDF’s continued military campaign against Hezbollah, and security officials weighed a possible ground campaign in southern Lebanon.

US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said that US President Joe Biden would not have issued the statement if he didn’t believe that Israel was on board.

Israel “doesn’t want a dispute with the US over this,” one of the officials stated, noting that it was simply not possible to have understood that Israel would support a final text it saw only at the last second. The US also doesn't want a dispute here, the source added.

There were only three people involved in the talks that led up to the issuance of the statement on Wednesday: Netanyahu Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Israel’s Ambassador to Mike Herzog.

Those three people “didn’t see 95 percent of the text until Netanyahu was on the plane” en route to New York, and they were “the most involved in the process,” the source said.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Dermer to explain that the Biden administration was thinking of releasing a joint statement with France calling for a ceasefire in the north.

Israel believed it gave its consent to the start of a dialogue on the proposal, during which time it would continue with its military campaign.

Israel always believed its consent was contingent on the text, a source said. It was important to Israel that it proceed with the process without giving the impression that it opposed it.

“Our [Israel’s] understanding was that it was an American decision, that they [the Biden administration] was going to put something on the table, and we would have to see what it said,” the source said.

Netanyahu won’t respond to the call for a 21-day ceasefire call without holding consultations back in Israel, one of the sources explained.

A northern ceasefire that would create a temporary lull in the year-long constrained IDF-Hezbollah war would also be linked to the concurrent Gaza war.

Israel has preferred to de-couple the two issues, while Hezbollah has insisted on linking them, the source said.

The initial text that Israel saw didn’t include Gaza in it, while the one that was issued did, as part of a bid to gain wider consensus on the document, the source said, referencing the 10 other countries that backed the document.

Israel has since worked to repair that understanding with the US, with conversations held with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US special envoys Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein.

“We have tried to fix this misunderstanding, and we think it is now behind us,” he said.

[bert]

Lame Ducks with purely political motivation are irrelevant in world affairs.

Obama has never grasped the fact that the game he continues to try to play in Iran is over.

There is a new and different game being played that in effect trashes the Obama legacy. No, not the Biden legacy. There is no Biden legacy

The new game is the Abraham Accords and it was invented and implemented by President Donald Trump

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Kings-X

[Brian Griffin]

My current suggestion for a Palestinian-Isreali deal:

24 hours of no bombing for every live hostage returned
12 bonus hours for each additional live hostage returned on the same day within the first 20 calendar days of the agreement
6 hours of no bombing for every dead hostage delivered up

24 hours of no bombing if a complete set of tunnel maps is furnished to the Israeli negotiating team before October 9th

Israel to supply a list of possible hostages within ten days. Israel shall acquire the right to use in Gaza one kilogram of high explosive for each hour a listed individual is not returned or delivered up.

HAMAS and the Palestinian Authority separately and jointly agree to criminally prosecute and severely punish all violence against hostages.

At any time, Israel may shoot to kill by gunfire any person presenting an apparent armed threat to Israelis, or any person specified by Israel reasonably suspected of a war crime who is not in a widely known, habitually judicially used, government funded detention facility for common criminals any time at least 24 hours after such request has been made and remains in effect. Except during no bombing periods, Israel shall additionally have the right to kill by missiles with warheads of less than six kilograms of high explosive any such persons.

In Gaza, HAMAS and the Palestinian Authority agree to publicly discourage unofficial public carrying of weapons Israelis might think pose an apparent armed threat to Israelis. In Gaza, HAMAS and the Palestinian Authority members shall only carry weapons while in an official uniform.

Restrictions imposed on Israel by this agreement shall voided by any Gazan source action in gross violation of this agreement.

NOTE 1: Just about every Gazan would have an incentive to find hostages so they can be returned.
NOTE 2: Encourages the speedy return of hostages without needless numerical obstruction.
NOTE 3: Does not call for the release of terrorists now held by Israel.
NOTE 4: Drastically curtails the ability of Israel to use highly destructive high explosives.
NOTE 5: Allows Palestinians to deal with terrorists and war criminals now running loose in Gaza judicially themselves rather than having the IDF deal with them.

[bert]

That is a worthy plan, except....... in truth, the hostages are no longer the issue. The extermination of Hamas to the last leader is the issue.

Hostages are now collateral damage to the death of Sinwar et al.

Palestine isn’t. Hostages aren’t

[Brian Griffin]

“US believed Netanyahu would consent to the ceasefire”

The people in charge of the US believe a man can be made into a woman.

[GailA]

Bingo! They breed like rats.

[icclearly]

I have a question.

Israel started a war against Hamas almost one year ago to the day. Other than thousands and thousands of deaths, what have they accomplished? I mean, Israel, supposedly the strongest military power in the region backed and supplied by a world superpower, still struggles to win over a bunch of goat herders after a full year of intense fighting.

Am I missing something?

[SaveFerris]

[The people in charge of the US believe a man can be made into a woman.]

And that’s the problem right there. I was going to reference just that several times this year (may still)

Only a delusional, reprobate mind can believe such a lie.

The mere fact that there are people trying to push this on society is a very bad omen (pun absolutely intended)

[DesertRhino]

Idiots….

[bert]

Of course you are missing something.

Goat Herders? Ignorance of world reality on display.

First, Hamas started the war by assaulting Israel and taking hostages. Hamas assumed the tactic being used for 75 years or so would work again. Hamas was wrong. The Abraham Accords and Negev Summit created an alliance between the Arabs that matter and Israel. The old game is over. Remember, Bibi Netanyahu's brother was killed at Entebbe while rescuing hostages 47 years ago. Bibi et al just said no more.

The decision....We are going to not only kill all of you, but are going to wipe away all traces of your existence. Hamas is essentially dead and all their government buildings, businesses and dwellings are now dirt. Whole fleets of armored D9 bulldoze4rs transformed Hamas land back into literal dirt.

Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan are going to create a new coalition that is economically, diplomatically and militarily superior to the Mullah's in Iran. The process is far along and plans are already complete.

But first, the Iranian effort to up set President Trump's Abraham Accord applecart must be defeated. That is happening before our eyes, now, today

[DesertRhino]

Yes, Israel did not start the war. And they basically had to attack something closer to the size of Okinawa with a tunnel system the size of the New York subway system. And Israel has to do so in a manner that does not water soldiers lives. The entire time we have thrown roadblocks at them, including massive efforts to send supplies to the enemy.

That’s what you’re missing.

[chiller]

You’re not ceeing clearly, icclearly

Hamas started the war, not Israel —#1

#2—US has not supported Israel’s efforts and fought, discouraged most every initiative.

Other than the two points making up the totality of your question , you’re spot on. Hope that helps.

[BlueLancer]

I'd say that you're missing a key element in your argument:

Israel didn't start a war almost a year ago. The war was started with the Hamas atrocities on 7 October during a previous and ongoing "cease-fire". When Israel RETALIATED (self-defense), it had to fight against an enemy that hides among and behind women and children, making targeting problematic because, if women and children are harmed in the attacks, hypocrites like you scream "GENOCIDE" and whine about that. If Israel had a free-hand in their self-defense and acted like the Allies did in WWII, carpet-bombing Gaza would have "ended the war" within a matter of days.

But, of course, you knew that before starting your concerned-troll routine here ...

[DesertRhino]

Also it’s not a bunch of goat herders. It’s a tough, well supplied, fanatical dug in infantry force in unban warfare that had thousands of rockets. Hezbollah is orders of magnitude stronger and better organized.

Last, it’s a war to fully eliminate their existence as a government, and utterly defeat then… nut a simple retaliation.

October 7 was not just another incident. It’s roughly 9/11 times 20 relative to the population of Israel.

[enduserindy]

MSDNC is way down the hall on the far left.

[bigfootbob]

You nailed it. I’m sick to death of the LBJ war strategy that the dimocRAT’s/uniparty members follow. I believe it’s a more sinister part of their depopulation agenda.

[EastTexasTraveler]

It sounds like the US tried to get Israel to agree to something and then changed the proposed agreement after the fact and claimed it was what Israel agreed to.

[bert]

I suspect that Israel paid no attention to noise issued by the Biden administration.

Lame ducks are irrelevant

[airborne]

Let’s ask Joe to explain what happened.... in detail... to a Fox News reporter.

[SunkenCiv]

• John Kirby: Netanyahu should be asked if he retracted his agreement to a ceasefire [09/26/2024]
• Blinken: There's 'Dehumanization' from Israel and as a Result of 'Trauma' 'Inflicted on Palestinians' [09/27/2024]
• Team Biden Can't Understand How It Blew Middle East Peace, and I Can't Stop Cry-Laughing [09/27/2024]
• Israel Did Not Inform US of Their Hezbollah Strike Plans - and Why Should They? [09/27/2024]