Biden airs Israeli peace plan, squeezing Netanyahu

Tens of thousands of Israelis protest against leader Benjamin Netanyahu

More than 100,000 Israelis flooded the streets to pressure Netanyahu to accept Biden's proposal

(Image credit: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

published 3 June 2024

What happened

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas are weighing an Israeli cease-fire proposal that President Joe Biden made public Friday in a surprise speech. The plan, which Netanyahu's office confirmed was presented to Hamas days ago, calls for a six-week pause in fighting during which Israel would swap Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in phases while aid to Gaza would see a significant boost.

The deal has broad regional and international support, and more than 100,000 Israelis flooded the streets Saturday night to pressure Netanyahu to accept it. Hamas said it viewed Biden's speech "positively," with caveats. "We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees" to Israel's proposal, "Israel would say yes," White House spokesperson John Kirby said to ABC News on Sunday.

Two hardline members of Netanyahu's Cabinet threatened to bring down his government if he pursued the deal. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he would provide Netanyahu a "safety net" in parliament to see the cease-fire deal through.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.