Can peace return to Gaza, at least temporarily? While criticism is increasing internationally over Israeli military action, Benjamin Netanyahu finally seems willing to take a step towards negotiations. It was American President Joe Biden who unveiled the Israeli roadmap to establish a ceasefire, an announcement immediately welcomed by the West.
What does this roadmap contain? Can the ceasefire last? What are the international reactions? 20 minutes make the point.
What are Israel’s commitments?
According to Joe Biden’s explanations, Israel would be ready to withdraw its troops from “inhabited areas of Gaza” for a period of six weeks. In this plan, the cessation of fighting would go hand in hand with the release of Israeli hostages, with priority given to women, children and the sick. In exchange, some Palestinian prisoners held by Israel could be released.
Joe Biden’s announcement came as Israeli forces advanced to the center of Rafah, a city in the south of the Gaza Strip that has become the epicenter of the conflict, and took control of the “Philadelphia Corridor”, a strategic buffer zone on the border between this Palestinian territory and Egypt. The withdrawal of Israeli troops would also allow the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, closed since May 7. This would greatly facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
When could this ceasefire come into effect?
No date has been mentioned for the implementation of this plan. According to Joe Biden, the proposal was submitted to Hamas via the Qatari mediator. The American president encouraged the Islamist movement to accept this ceasefire. For his part, the political leader of Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh, indicated that his movement had again informed the mediators that its “demands”, above all a permanent ceasefire and a total withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip , were “non-negotiable”.
Can the ceasefire become permanent?
A second phase of the road map provides for a permanent ceasefire, provided that Hamas “respects its commitments”, underlined Joe Biden. This phase would notably include the release of all hostages still held in Gaza after being kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7 against Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the government was “united in its desire to bring back” the hostages “as quickly as possible” and that the prime minister had “authorized the negotiating team to present a plan to achieve this goal.” objective “. But he, at the same time, stressed that “the war would not stop until all its goals were [seraient] not achieved”, citing “the return” of all the hostages and “the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities”.
What are the international reactions?
First concerned, Hamas “considers positively what was included today in the speech of American President Joe Biden regarding a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, reconstruction and the exchange of prisoners “, indicated the Palestinian Islamist movement in a press release. “We cannot let this opportunity for an agreement in Gaza pass,” said Joe Biden.
This latest proposal is “realistic” and “offers a real opportunity to move towards an end to the war and the suffering of civilians in Gaza”, commented the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The proposal “offers a glimmer of hope and possibly a way out of the conflict,” commented German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.