JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has essentially rejected the conditions set forth by President Joe Biden Friday with the latest U.S. plan to end the war with Hamas in Gaza.
In a statement Saturday night, the Israeli leader declared, “Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
In Biden’s Friday speech, delivered just before the Jewish Sabbath in Israel, Biden laid out a phased plan to end the war.
“During the six weeks of phase one, Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary arrangements to get to phase two, which is a permanent end to hostilities,” he announced.
The last stage would be for what the president called “the day after the war.”
“Finally, in phase three, a major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence, and any final remains of hostages who have been killed would be returned
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