Washington- The initiative of President Joe Biden’s administration to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has received a painful blow in light of the disagreements regarding it within the Israeli government, and the failure of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to approve it so far, as well as amid an intense attack by the Zionist lobby on the president and his supporters.
Biden had described his initiative as “Israel’s ceasefire plan,” and some officials in the occupation government supported it, but others saw that it seemed similar to the plan proposed by Hamas weeks ago, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, on Monday, that what Biden proposed “Not accurate.”
The initiative, which Biden announced last Friday, included a path leading to a complete ceasefire, including an initial truce lasting 6 weeks with a partial withdrawal of the occupation army and the release of some Israeli detainees held by the Palestinian resistance.
While the two sides negotiate a permanent ceasefire, this is followed by a second phase that includes the release of all remaining living prisoners, including Israeli soldiers, coinciding with an Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip. Then follows a third phase, beginning with a plan to reconstruct Gaza and return any remaining remains of Israeli prisoners.
The controversy of the proposal and its source
Dylan Williams, a former Senate official and now an expert at the Center for International Policy, said in a tweet on the “X” website, “Netanyahu is retreating from the ceasefire plan due to the rebellion of far-right ministers.
This position is in stark contrast to US President Joe Biden, who clearly described in his speech the terms of the gradual ceasefire agreement as an “Israeli proposal.”
In a statement to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Ambassador David Mack, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs, who previously worked at his country’s consulate in Jerusalem, pointed out the importance of Biden’s announcement.
He said, “Biden’s plan does not reflect real change. What has changed is his tactical decision to refer to it as an Israeli proposal, and call on Hamas to accept it. It was given the green light by the Israeli war council, which does not include Netanyahu’s partners in the far-right coalition.”
In his opinion, this increased pressure inside Israel from some key centrist leaders, and perhaps from military and intelligence officials, and also led to an increase in demonstrations by families of detainees to push Netanyahu to accept this proposal.
On the other hand, Charles Dunn, a former White House and State Department official, currently an expert at the Arab Institute in Washington, and a lecturer at George Washington University, does not consider that the new plan – which is being marketed as an Israeli plan – “is a departure from the administration’s previous position as much as it is a plan.” “For a long-term and essentially permanent ceasefire, without actually calling it that.”
In fact, Biden’s plan represented a major step that contradicts his previous position of rejecting a complete ceasefire until Israel achieves its goals of completely eliminating the Hamas movement.
Despite this, Giorgio Cafiero, director of the Foundation for Gulf States Studies, says that the Biden administration realizes that Israel achieving its maximum goals in Gaza “is unrealistic and does not serve American interests, especially with Israel’s desire to prolong this war until 2025.”
Electoral accounts
On the other hand, electoral calculations cannot be ruled out in any initiative adopted by the US President. Hence, Ambassador Mack points out that Biden’s plan “touches a sensitive nerve among American citizens, as he gives good arguments to Democrats, independents, and even moderate Republicans who may prefer his re-election.”
In Mack’s opinion, Biden demonstrated “political wisdom,” as well as taking steps that would be useful internationally, especially in the major Middle Eastern capitals that were keen to change his image from an ally of Netanyahu to a peacemaker.
For his part, Charles Dunn suggested that the increasing pressure on Biden due to the Gaza war and his open support for Israel, especially his loss of support from young voters, “played an important role in Biden putting forward the proposal.”
“Biden is under pressure from younger, more progressive elements in the Democratic Party base who strongly oppose his administration’s strict support for Israel’s war on Gaza,” Giorgio Carvio said.
He pointed to Biden and his political allies’ concern about former President Donald Trump’s ability to win some key swing states such as Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as a result of younger and more progressive voters staying home on Election Day, or perhaps voting for a third-party candidate.
Ingratitude
Within the controversy prevailing in Washington after the announcement of Biden’s plan, American Jewish lobby organizations ignored Biden’s great support for the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip politically, financially, militarily and diplomatically.
It also ignored Washington’s resort to using its veto power several times in the Security Council, and the White House’s rejection of the decisions and positions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court against Israel.
The American Zionist Organization “ZOA” strongly condemned Biden’s plan, and considered it “a horrific suicide for Israel.” A statement from the organization – seen by Tel Aviv Tribune Net – accused Biden of choosing the timing of announcing his plan to coincide with the start of the Jewish holy day in order to prevent the Jewish government from responding immediately.
She accused Biden of being inaccurate in saying that Israel had “offered,” “accepted,” or “could present” a comprehensive new proposal that Qatar had referred to Hamas. She said that the terms of the “alleged proposal were almost identical to the demands of the Hamas movement.”
It also accused him of distorting what was agreed upon with Israel as another way to pressure it to reach an agreement that would seriously harm its security and its ability to “deter terrorism” for years to come, and encourage Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran to attack Israel.
The Zionist Organization of America considered that Biden’s plan achieves all the goals it wants for Hamas, including:
- Israel’s withdrawal from all of the Gaza Strip, and its failure to maintain a demilitarized buffer zone.
- The survival of Hamas and its continued control over Gaza; The plan does not provide for its elimination.
- There will be an immediate “temporary” ceasefire leading to a permanent cessation of war.
- Sending 600 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid daily to Gaza, “and Hamas will certainly seize it,” the organization said.
On the other hand, researchers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), known for its closeness to the Israeli right, launched a fierce attack on Biden. Its president, Mark Dubowitz, said, “The Israeli government reaffirmed a basic principle: There will be no ceasefire in Gaza until all the hostages are returned and Hamas’ military capabilities are destroyed.”
He added, “Despite Biden’s assurances on May 31, the Israelis know that as long as Hamas remains in Gaza and maintains its military infrastructure… the possibility of another massacre like October 7 still exists.”
Most hostile to Israel
The Zionist Organization of America also described former President Barack Obama as “the most extreme president in America in hostility to Israel,” despite his support for Israeli interests.
Obama stated in a tweet, on Friday, on the “X” platform, “Biden’s plan is realistic and fair to end the war between Israel and Hamas, return the hostages to their country, and increase aid to Gaza to alleviate the harsh conditions facing the Palestinians after about 8 months of war.”
Today, President Biden put forward a clear, realistic and just plan to establish an immediate ceasefire and end the war in Gaza – a plan that ensures Israel’s security, returns hostages taken on October 7th to their families, increases aid into Gaza and relieves the suffering of…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 31, 2024
Obama’s support for Biden’s position toward Israel is of particular importance. Obama enjoys great popularity, and at the same time he had tense relations with Netanyahu while he was in office between 2008 and 2016.
Obama said Biden had shown “moral conviction and clarity” and that his plan “could save lives” and provide some security for both Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
Obama is considered one of the American presidents who most supports the special relationship with Israel. During his reign, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2016, in which Washington pledged to provide $33 billion in the military financing fund and $5 billion to finance missile defense during the period from 2019 to 2028.
Because of Obama, almost all US aid to Israel is in the form of grants to purchase weapons. Israel receives $3.3 billion annually from US foreign military financing programs. It also receives $500 million for research, development and deployment of missile defense systems such as Iron Dome.
