Biden airs Israeli peace plan, squeezing Netanyahu
The president proposed a pause in fighting and a hostage swap in his surprise speech
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.
Who said what
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.
What next?
Biden's "public airing of the cease-fire proposal has forced" Netanyahu's competing incentives "to the surface, meaning Netanyahu may no longer be able to stall for time," The Washington Post said.
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