Report: US To Present ‘Take It Or Leave It’ Ceasefire Proposal
U.S. officials have signaled that President Joe Biden’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages have gained increased urgency following the discovery of six hostages’ bodies, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, The Washington Post reports.
The Post reveals that a high-ranking administration source disclosed the U.S. has been collaborating with Egypt and Qatar to finalize a decisive “take it or leave it” proposal.
This offer is anticipated to be delivered to the involved parties soon, with the caveat that failure to accept it could lead to the end of American-led discussions. It remains unclear whether the revelation of the six hostages’ deaths will impact the likelihood of a resolution between Israel and Hamas in the near future.
“You can’t keep negotiating this. This process has to be called at some point,” the senior official remarked to The Washington Post, noting that the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar had been working on the final offer before the hostages were discovered dead in a tunnel under Rafah. “Does it derail the deal? No. If anything, it should add additional urgency in this closing phase, which we were already in.”
In response to the IDF’s finding that the six hostages were killed by their captors “shortly before” their bodies were discovered, the senior administration source affirmed that the U.S. agrees with this assessment.
The official expressed concern that Hamas’ choice to execute the hostages during negotiations “calls into question” the group’s commitment to the talks. Despite Israeli officials making concessions, Hamas has been rigid at times, according to the official.
“US officials are going to be burning up the phones over the next 48 hours to see if a deal can still be reached,” a second senior U.S. official told The Washington Post.
Biden has been advocating for a ceasefire and hostage release framework that he initially proposed in May. On Saturday evening, he updated reporters on the progress, stating, “It’s time this war ended…I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement.”
He maintained a “still optimistic” outlook on the agreement prospects and noted that “people are continuing to meet.”
“We think we can close the deal, they’ve all said they agree on the principles,” Biden declared.
The previous Sunday, two Egyptian security officials informed Reuters that negotiations for a potential ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal ended without a resolution in Cairo.
Subsequently, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned that the United States is still working “feverishly” in Cairo to secure an agreement on both a ceasefire and hostage release. These remarks followed Hamas’ rejection of another proposed deal for the hostages.
{Matzav.com}