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Netanyahu seems to contradict Biden cease-fire offer: 'Non-starter' if all conditions not met

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Netanyahu seems to contradict Biden cease-fire offer: 'Non-starter' if all conditions not met

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JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement on Saturday that seemed to contradict President Biden’s comments that would end the war in Gaza. 

Netanyahu’s office said that Israel’s conditions for ending the war – the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel – had not changed. 

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In the second part of the statement posted on X, his office continued, “The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent cease-fire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”

In a speech from the White House on Friday, Biden presented what he called “a roadmap to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages,” which he said came after intensive diplomacy carried out by a U.S. team with the leaders of Israel, Qatar, and Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries.

NETANYAHU INVITED TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AS BIDEN URGES HAMAS TO TAKE ISRAEL PEACE OFFER

President Biden in between a photo of an IDF tank and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (AP, Getty Images)

Biden said the plan for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, a return of all the hostages to Israel and rebuilding the war-torn territory – without allowing Hamas to return to power in any format – was part of “a comprehensive new proposal” that Israel had already offered Hamas. 

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While both Israel and Hamas responded hesitantly to the challenge laid out by President Biden to permanently end the war in Gaza and release the 125 people taken hostage by the Iranian-backed terror group during its brutal attack against Israel on October 7, critics were quick to jump on the plan’s shortcomings. 

Critics have already jumped on the Biden offer. Former Trump National Security Advisor and FDD senior adviser Richard Goldberg told Fox News Digital, “To be clear, the president has just repackaged a Hamas proposal as a U.S.-endorsed Israeli proposal, perhaps believing this would make an Israeli surrender to Hamas more palatable to Israelis.”

Palestinian Hamas terrorists are seen during a military show in the Bani Suheila district on July 20, 2017, in Gaza City, Gaza. A protester at Stanford University with a headband similar to those worn by Hamas members was seen on an image submitted to the FBI.  (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Israeli military announced that it had taken control of the so-called “Philadelphi Corridor,” an eight-mile-long strip of land that runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt. Israel said the move aimed to weaken Hamas by cutting it off from tunnels used to smuggle weapons and ammunition into the Palestinian enclave. It also served as another blow to the terror group’s governing capabilities, which have been steadily diminishing through the eight-month war, even as it consistently turns down proposals for a cease-fire. 

In a statement also on Saturday, Hamas said that it viewed the president’s plan positively, particularly “his call for a permanent cease-fire, the withdrawal of [Israeli] forces from Gaza Strip, reconstruction and an exchange of prisoners.”

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COMBAT IN PART OF NORTH GAZA IS OVER, ISREALI MILITARY SAYS

The IDF says its “troops are continuing operations against terror targets in the area of Rafah.” IDF Spokesman’s Unit (IDF Spokesman’s Office)

Biden’s speech caught many in Israel off-guard. Given after the start of the Jewish sabbath, when many observant Israelis switch off phones and television sets, Israeli news commentators doubted that Netanyahu’s office had been made aware that the president was going to make such an address.

As he laid out his plan live on air, some wondered why the president had gone behind Netanyahu’s back to leak details of an offer to Hamas, which one day earlier had said it had rejected Israel’s proposal.

There was also confusion about whether Biden was really presenting the same plan that Netanyahu’s government had approved or whether it was a modified version. 

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A spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC) told Fox News Digital that it was the same plan. 

Thursday, October 12, 2023. Pictures of loved ones who have been captured by Hamas on display during a Defend Israeli Democracy UK press conference at Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London by Sharon Lifschitz and Noam Sagi, two London-based British Israelis whose parents are among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images) (Photo by Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images)

In his speech, the president said the plan consisted of three phases: the first, which would take six weeks, would see a full and complete cease-fire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and a release of a number of hostages. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow Gaza’s civilians to return to their homes and neighborhoods in all of the Strip. 

Humanitarian assistance, he said, would surge “with 600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day.”

Phase two would see the release of all remaining hostages, including male soldiers, after which the cease-fire would become permanent. A third phase would involve major reconstruction of Gaza, which has largely been destroyed by eight months of fighting. 

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Family members of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, including (R-L) Ronen Neutra, Ruby Chen, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, Liz Naftali, Adi Alexander, Orna Neutra, and Yael Alexander talk to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on December 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The families were invited to a private meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged the government to consider the proposal, saying that it “cannot ignore President Biden’s important speech.”

“There is a deal on the table, and it needs to be made – I remind Netanyahu that he has a ‘safety net’ from us to make a deal, should Ben Gvir and Smotrich leave the government,” said Lapid, referring to hardline government ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, who are likely to reject any suggestion that Israel end the war without completely defeating Hamas. 

Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this story.

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Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

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Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war
From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.
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Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

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Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

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The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

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Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

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Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

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Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

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Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

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As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

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“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

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“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

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Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET

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