How much of Hamas can remain? President Joe Biden has proposed a ceasefire plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not yet on board. The key plank in dispute: how much of Hamas is intact, and thus able to carry out another attack.
The White House says Israel's military offensive in Gaza has crippled the terrorist group to such a degree that Hamas no longer poses a threat. The Israeli government says that it doesn't feel confident that this is true, and that it wants to see all of Hamas wiped out.
"Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it," said Biden in a speech on Friday, announcing his plan. "Hamas needs to take the deal…[and end] this war that they began."
Biden's plan has three phases. The first, which would last for six weeks, would include a "full and complete ceasefire" as well as total withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza and the release of many hostages taken by Hamas—women, the elderly—in exchange for "hundreds of Palestinian prisoners."
Phase two would involve negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but also the release of all remaining hostages and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces. The temporary ceasefire would be made permanent.
Phase three would involve rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu's perspective: Israel isn't necessarily on board with a permanent, longterm ceasefire (pointing out that there was a ceasefire in place when Hamas carried out the October 7 massacre), and Netanyahu has said he wants Israel's "objectives [to be] achieved, including the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities."
"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," added the prime minister.
Over the weekend, more than 100,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to pressure Netanyahu to accept the Biden-brokered deal. But parts of his political coalition have said that they reject the deal—and that if Netanyahu signs onto it, their parties will leave the coalition, bringing his government down. (For more on the internal politics, go here.)
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QUICK HITS
- Former president (and presumptive Republican presidential nominee) Donald Trump "will be free to cross the country on his reelection campaign at least until his July sentencing. For now, though, the gag order that barred him from speaking about the witnesses on the case still remains," reports Intelligencer. "In his press conference on Friday, Trump appeared to violate the order by referring to a certain 'sleazebag' attorney that was obviously Michael Cohen. If [Judge Juan A.] Merchan decides to act on his threat to detain Trump for repeated violations of the order, former Department of Corrections officials told Intelligencer that he could either be held in a cell at 100 Centre St. for a few short hours, or be sent to his own wing with Secret Service protection at Rikers Island if he is to stay the night."
- Are rich people revitalizing Detroit?
- "The return of the finance bro is…a sign that the era of the tech nerd, exemplified by Mark Zuckerberg, has come to an end," writes Suzy Weiss in The Free Press.
- "Americans aren't prepared for the calamitous injuries produced by modern conventional weapons," writes Jeff Colyer, who worked as a volunteer surgeon in Ukraine.
- Donald Trump joined TikTok (after once threatening to ban the app).
- Mexico elected its first lady president.
- Seems crazy to have to say this:
If you think Hamas is pro-pluralism and liberalism, you simply do not know what you're talking about. https://t.co/qMzQHME84t
— Liz Wolfe (@LizWolfeReason) June 3, 2024
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