Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Proposal to End Gaza War

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The Facts

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a proposal to end the war in Gaza submitted by Hamas — who offered to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for leaving Hamas intact, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, and releasing Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that Hamas must be destroyed.

  • Netanyahu said such a deal would amount to capitulation and mean soldiers had "fallen in vain." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the families of the hostages that Israeli operations in Khan Younis will expand, with reports on Monday that Israeli forces had advanced into the west of Khan Younis and closed in on the city's two main hospitals.

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Israelis and Palestinians must make peace via a two-state solution. Though it may seem that it has never been as difficult to make peace, moderates must rise above the populist extremism of Hamas and the Israeli political right so the land can be shared. Both Israeli and Palestinian national aspirations are valid projects that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. The two-state solution may not be the most equitable or desirable for either side, but it's the most achievable outcome.

Vox

Pro-Israel narrative

Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state run by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security.

Jerusalem Post

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel killed the two-state solution. There can't be a Palestinian state after nearly 75 years of Israeli policies effectively atomizing and dividing the Palestinian political scene and physical landscape via a system of apartheid and occupation. The only solution is to accept reality — Israel is an apartheid state that practices sovereignty over the region, and this apartheid must be dismantled so that all people residing in the land can live free as equals.

Mother Jones

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