WASHINGTON: When US President Joe Biden publicly aired a Gaza ceasefire proposal developed by Israel and the United States and sent to Hamas, he made the announcement without seeking agreement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said three US officials with knowledge of the matter.

The decision to announce unilaterally — an unusual step for the United States to take with a close ally — was deliberate, officials say and narrowed the room for Israel or Hamas to back away from the deal. “We didn’t ask permission to announce the proposal,” said a senior US official.

“We informed the Israelis we were going to give a speech on the situation in Gaza. We did not go into great detail about what it was.”

Meanwhile, in an apparent blow to the Biden plan, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday the group would demand a permanent end to the fighting in Gaza and Israeli withdrawal as part of a ceasefire plan.

Biden’s announcement, and his framing of the proposal as a deal “Israel has offered”, were intended to raise hopes for a ceasefire and put pressure on Netanyahu, said Jeremi Suri, a history and public affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Biden is trying to box Netanyahu into accepting the proposal,” said Suri.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2024