Israel Added New Conditions, Obstructing Ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that he did not object to the proposal championed by Joe Biden. However, a US report alleges the opposite.

According to a document released by The New York Times newspaper, Netanyahu added new conditions to Israel's demands and included addendums that his negotiators fear will create obstacles for a ceasefire deal to be agreed upon.

In a meeting with government ministers on August 4, Netanyahu stated that Israel "did not even add one demand to the plan" and that "Hamas is the one who demanded dozens of changes." However, the documents surveyed in the report suggest that Netanyahu's behind-the-scenes reversal was extensive. This indicates that the agreement would remain elusive as a new round of negotiations are set to begin on Thursday.

The last framework, presented to the mediators shortly before the Rome summit on July 28, suggested that Israeli forces must remain in control of the southern border of Gaza along the Philadelphia Corridor. This detail was not included in the Israeli proposal in May when Israel committed to "the withdrawal of the Israeli forces east away from crowded areas along the borders in all areas of the Gaza Strip."

The document also indicated that the Israeli government will be less flexible regarding uprooted Palestinians returning to their homes in northern Gaza after the fighting ends.

Israel said it would agree to a ceasefire only if its soldiers could screen returning Palestinians as they move from southern to northern Gaza. Later in May, Israel softened this demand. While the proposal submitted still stated that returnees must "not carry weapons during the return," it removed the explicit requirement for Israeli forces to search for weapons. This made the policy appear more symbolic than to be enforced, leading Hamas to agree to it. Israel's July draft revived the enforcement issue, stating that the screening of people returning to the north had to be done in a "mutually agreed" manner.

Netanyahu's office denied the details. They did not dispute the authenticity of the documents but denied that Netanyahu added new conditions. Instead, they said that he sought to clarify unclear details in Israel's renewed May proposal to facilitate its implementation. The letter from July 27 does not introduce new conditions, his office said in a statement. On the contrary, it includes vital clarifications to assist in the implementation of the May 27 proposal. It was further conveyed that there is no contradiction between the two positions, and the second position eased the execution of the first: "The letter not only does not contradict the May 27 proposal, it makes it easier. Hamas is the one who demanded 29 changes - something the prime minister opposed."