After Meeting With Blinken, Netanyahu Backs US Gaza Proposal That Includes His Demands
After meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement backing the new Gaza hostage and ceasefire proposal from the US, which includes the Israeli leader’s demands and doesn’t include a permanent truce.
“The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
According to The Times of Israel, the statement was the first time Netanyahu publicly backed the US proposal even though it included his demands. Hamas rejected the proposal a day earlier due to the added conditions. Israeli officials later told Axios that Netanyahu only said he accepted the US proposal because he knew Hamas wouldn’t accept it.