File photo- Israel s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.AFP
Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the war on Gaza, free all captives and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory.
However, Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday Biden’s portrayal of Israel’s proposal was inaccurate.
“I am not willing to stop the war. I will not describe the details of the deal, but what the president of the United States described is not accurate,” Netanyahu said during a closed-door session, the Kan News public broadcaster reported.
He sent on saying that Israel can stop the fighting for 42 days in order to return captives, "but we will not give up on total victory,” he claimed.
Netanyahu also said that Biden omitted “other details” during his Friday address on the ongoing talks with the Hamas group.
His office stressed Saturday that Israel would push on with the war until all of its "goals are achieved."
Saturday’s statement largely reiterated earlier comments from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office made less than an hour after Biden detailed the proposal on Friday, in which the office said that “the Israeli government is united in the desire to return our hostages as soon as possible and is working to achieve this goal.”
For all the messaging, however, it is unclear exactly to what degree Israel supports the plan. The earlier statement by the office insisted the “exact outline” of the proposal allows Israel to maintain its goals in the conflict, CNN reported.
Times of Israel said that Netanyahu’s statement on Saturday was geared towards outlining the kind of ceasefire agreement Israel is prepared to agree to, rather than ruling one out.
Israeli media also questioned the extent to which Biden's speech and some crucial details were coordinated with Netanyahu's team, including how long any truce would hold and when and how many captives would be freed.
Government collapse
Netanyahu is facing growing pressure after Biden presented an "Israeli" truce proposal, with many Israelis urging Netanyahu to embrace the deal but far-right allies threatening to collapse his government if he did.
Israeli media quoted Netanyahu as saying on Monday that the first phase of the plan to wind down the Gaza war, entailing a limited captives release, could be undertaken without necessary agreement on what follows, Reuters reported.
The leaked quotes from a closed-door parliamentary meeting, which were not immediately confirmed by officials, suggested Israel sees a possibility of entering an initial Gaza truce though it has ruled out ending the war as demanded by Hamas.
Earlier, Netanyahu invited National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to a meeting to discuss the deal after the far-right leader threatened to bolt the government over the newly proposed plan.
The Israel Hayom quoted sources in Netanyahu’s office as saying that contrary to Biden’s remarks the draft does not have a clause obligating Israel to end the fighting. Netanyahu will assure Ben-Gavir that it is not an “irresponsible deal,” it said.
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