Netanyahu Retreats from Ceasefire Proposal, Says US
US officials have voiced their frustration following the Israeli Prime Minister's commitment to continue military actions against Lebanon “with full force.” Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Under pressure from his hardline coalition partners, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his intention to intensify military actions against Lebanon “with full force.”
Netanyahu has asserted that he never approved an American and French proposal aimed at temporarily ceasing hostilities in Lebanon. However, officials in Washington and Paris have stated that the Israeli prime minister had initially agreed to the plan before reversing his decision at the last minute.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House, along with France and nearly a dozen other nations, including the UK and Saudi Arabia, labeled the situation in Lebanon as “intolerable” and called for “an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border” to facilitate diplomatic negotiations regarding the conflict.
American and French officials have claimed that the ceasefire proposal was coordinated with Netanyahu, who was expected to express his support for the ceasefire upon arriving in New York on Thursday for an address at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
However, as Netanyahu was traveling to the United States, his office stated that he “didn’t even respond to” the ceasefire proposal and confirmed that he had “instructed the [Israel Defense Forces] to continue fighting at full force.”
“Israel’s policy is clear,” Netanyahu stated upon arriving in New York. “We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we achieve all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”
Since the onset of hostilities with Hezbollah almost a year ago, more than 100,000 individuals have been evacuated from both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel intensified its operations against Hezbollah earlier this month, injuring thousands in an operation targeting the group’s communication devices, later launching airstrikes in southern Lebanon. These assaults have resulted in at least 1,300 deaths, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Later on Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby indicated that the US would not have issued the ceasefire statement had it not believed in Netanyahu’s backing. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the announcement had been “coordinated” with the Israeli leader.
A senior Western diplomat shared with the Times of Israel that both Israel and Lebanon had privately concurred with the statement prior to its release, noting that Netanyahu played a key role in shaping the text.
“There were conversations at a very high level between the US, France, and Israel, and from those conversations, we understood there was a basis to go ahead with the joint announcement,” a French diplomat reported to the Israeli news outlet.
Kirby and the unnamed French diplomat suggested that domestic “political” pressures might have compelled Netanyahu to retract his support. Following the issuance of the joint statement but before Netanyahu’s arrival in New York, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to withdraw his far-right Otzma Yehudit party from Netanyahu’s coalition if he conceded to a truce. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose Religious Zionism party also supports Netanyahu’s government, declared that the conflict in Lebanon could only “end in one scenario – crushing Hezbollah.”
Throughout the Israel-Hamas war, these hardliners have consistently threatened to undermine Netanyahu’s political future should he agree to a ceasefire in Gaza or permit additional humanitarian aid into the area.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Netanyahu has asserted that he never approved an American and French proposal aimed at temporarily ceasing hostilities in Lebanon. However, officials in Washington and Paris have stated that the Israeli prime minister had initially agreed to the plan before reversing his decision at the last minute.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House, along with France and nearly a dozen other nations, including the UK and Saudi Arabia, labeled the situation in Lebanon as “intolerable” and called for “an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border” to facilitate diplomatic negotiations regarding the conflict.
American and French officials have claimed that the ceasefire proposal was coordinated with Netanyahu, who was expected to express his support for the ceasefire upon arriving in New York on Thursday for an address at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
However, as Netanyahu was traveling to the United States, his office stated that he “didn’t even respond to” the ceasefire proposal and confirmed that he had “instructed the [Israel Defense Forces] to continue fighting at full force.”
“Israel’s policy is clear,” Netanyahu stated upon arriving in New York. “We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we achieve all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”
Since the onset of hostilities with Hezbollah almost a year ago, more than 100,000 individuals have been evacuated from both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel intensified its operations against Hezbollah earlier this month, injuring thousands in an operation targeting the group’s communication devices, later launching airstrikes in southern Lebanon. These assaults have resulted in at least 1,300 deaths, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Later on Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby indicated that the US would not have issued the ceasefire statement had it not believed in Netanyahu’s backing. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the announcement had been “coordinated” with the Israeli leader.
A senior Western diplomat shared with the Times of Israel that both Israel and Lebanon had privately concurred with the statement prior to its release, noting that Netanyahu played a key role in shaping the text.
“There were conversations at a very high level between the US, France, and Israel, and from those conversations, we understood there was a basis to go ahead with the joint announcement,” a French diplomat reported to the Israeli news outlet.
Kirby and the unnamed French diplomat suggested that domestic “political” pressures might have compelled Netanyahu to retract his support. Following the issuance of the joint statement but before Netanyahu’s arrival in New York, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to withdraw his far-right Otzma Yehudit party from Netanyahu’s coalition if he conceded to a truce. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose Religious Zionism party also supports Netanyahu’s government, declared that the conflict in Lebanon could only “end in one scenario – crushing Hezbollah.”
Throughout the Israel-Hamas war, these hardliners have consistently threatened to undermine Netanyahu’s political future should he agree to a ceasefire in Gaza or permit additional humanitarian aid into the area.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
