From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 3, 2024
Netanyahu reportedly tells MKs there are ‘gaps’ between Israel’s proposal and terms presented by Biden
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After a senior Israeli official says the terms presented by US President Joe Biden of a potential hostage deal that Israel ostensibly proposed were “not accurate,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells lawmakers that “the claim that we agreed to a ceasefire without our conditions being met is incorrect.”
“The proposal that Biden presented is incomplete,” the premier tells MKs at a closed-door meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to multiple media reports.
He also reportedly says that there are “gaps” between the Israeli version and Biden’s recounting of it.
“The war will stop in order to bring hostages back, and afterward we will hold discussions. There are other details that the US president did not present to the public,” Netanyahu is quoted saying.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu says that Israel can stop the war for 6 weeks, but cannot end it permanently. “Iran and all of our enemies are watching to see if we capitulate,” says Netanyahu.
He also says that much of the reporting on his position on a deal is “fake news,” reports Channel 12.
Netanyahu briefs lawmakers on operations in Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor, hostage talks, the “day after” Hamas, fighting on the northern border, tensions in the West Bank, and Iran, his office says.
