Israel’s ‘Roadmap to an Enduring Ceasefire’: The 3-Phase “comprehensive new plan”

Israel’s three-phase plan to end the Gaza War was revealed on Friday by US President Joe Biden.

Smoke rises following Israel’s airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) (AP)

“Comprehensive New Plan”: Proposal

According to US President Biden, the proposal is a “comprehensive new plan” that aims to bring about an “enduring ceasefire.” The plan’s specifics are still unknown, though, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet publicly discussed it or explained how it differs from earlier ceasefire initiatives. Netanyahu has declared over and over again that Israel wants to eradicate Hamas completely.

“This really is a crucial moment,” said Biden. “Hamas expresses its desire for a ceasefire. This arrangement is a chance for them to demonstrate their sincerity.

At the White House on Friday, President Biden presented a three-phase plan from the Israeli government that would ideally result in an ongoing cease-fire in Gaza. Source: The New York Times

The principal elements of the proposal are listed below.

Phase One

Biden said the first phase consists of a “complete ceasefire” that will last for six weeks during which Israeli soldiers will evacuate “all populated areas of Gaza.”

Women, the elderly, and those with injuries were among the captives taken during the October 7 strikes on Israel that Hamas will free. Also, some hostages who had been killed would have their remains returned.

Biden stated that “US hostages held by Hamas would also be freed. And hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange.

Palestinian civilians would be permitted to go back to their “homes and neighborhoods” across the whole Gaza Strip, including the north, which has been severely damaged by Israeli bombing for months.

The international community would supply hundreds of thousands of makeshift shelters and housing units, and humanitarian supplies would “surge” to 600 trucks each day into Gaza.

The first six weeks would be spent by Israel and Hamas reaching a phase of permanent cessation of hostilities by negotiating the agreements required to get there.

If the talks go forward, the ceasefire would also be prolonged, according to Biden, who said that mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar are working to make sure the talks go well.

Phase Two

The plan’s second phase planned for the complete evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza, which was to happen over the course of around six weeks.

Male Israeli soldiers would be among the “all remaining living hostages” that Hamas would release. For Hamas, this has historically been a major issue of contention.

Biden mentioned Israel’s proposal, which states that there will be an end to hostilities forever if all parties adhere to the agreement.

Phase Three

With backing from the United States and other international partners, a comprehensive reconstruction plan and stabilisation would get underway for Gaza.

Biden promised that hospitals, schools, and residences would all be rebuilt. Additionally, he would collaborate with neighbours to make sure it occurred in a way that “does not allow Hamas to re-arm.”

Three to five years would pass during the reconstruction phase, according to a senior US official.

In the third phase, the last remnants of any killed hostages would be returned.

Israel’s and Hamas’s responses

The US President pushed Hamas to take up Israel’s offer. “Time to put an end to this conflict, for the day after to begin,” he declared, echoing the views of British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

The address Mr. Biden gave on “a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, reconstruction, and the exchange of prisoners” was “considered positively,” according to a statement released by Hamas on Friday night.

However, Netanyahu objected to Mr. Biden’s explanation of what was on the table, claiming that the planned roadmap’s “conditional” stage-by-stage transition was designed to let Israel continue with its war objectives.

The prime minister insisted that the war will not stop until all of its objectives are met and gave the negotiating team permission to offer a plan for accomplishing (the return of hostages), a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office said.

The release of all of our captives and the dismantling of Hamas’s armed forces and political components are among these goals, it continued.

The precise plan put forth by Israel, with its conditional stage-by-stage transition, allows Israel to maintain these principles.