Biden says Israel has offered to Hamas a three-step road map to an enduring ceasefire
Washington (PTI): US President Joe Biden on Friday announced that Israel has offered to Hamas, a three-step roadmap to enduring ceasefire in the region.
“Now after intensive diplomacy carried out by my team and my many conversations with leaders of Israel, Qatar, and Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. It’s a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” Biden told reporters at the White House.
“This proposal has been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas,” he said, adding that this new proposal has three phases. The first phase that would last for six weeks includes a full and complete ceasefire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
“There are American hostages who would be released at this stage, and we want them home,” he said, adding that Palestinian civilians would return to their homes and neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza, including in the north. Humanitarian assistance would surge with 600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day, he noted.
“This is truly a decisive moment. Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it. Hamas needs to take the deal,” Biden said.
During the six weeks of phase one, Israel and Hamas would negotiate the necessary arrangements to get to phase two, which is a permanent end to hostilities. “Now I’ll be straight with you, there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two. Israel will want to make sure its interests are protected, but the proposal says if the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue,” he said.
Phase two, Biden said, would be an exchange for the release of all the remaining living hostages, including male soldiers. Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, and as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, a temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, the cessation of hostilities permanently.
In phase three, a major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence and any final remains of hostages who’ve been killed would be returned to their families, he said.
“That’s the offer. That’s now on the table and what we’ve been asking for. It’s what we need. The people of Israel should know they can make this offer without any further risk to their own security because they’ve devastated Hamas from forces over the past eight months,” he said.
Biden reiterated his commitment to the defence of Israel. “To the people of Israel, let me say this. As someone who has had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American President who has ever gone to Israel in a time of war, as someone who just sent the US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back and think of what will happen if this moment is lost,” he said.
“We can’t lose this moment. Indefinite war and pursuit of an unidentified notion of total victory will not bring Israel and will only bog down Israel and Gaza, draining the economic, military, and human resources and furthering Israel’s isolation in the world,” said the US president.
The United States, he said, will help forge a diplomatic resolution, one that ensures Israel security and allows people to safely return to their homes without the fear of being attacked. With the deal of rebuilding of Gaza will begin Arab nations and the international community along with Palestinian and Israeli leaders to get it done in a manner that does not allow Hamas to rearm, he added.
The United States will work with its partners to rebuild homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza, to help repair communities that were destroyed in the chaos of war. With this deal, Israel could become more deeply integrated in the region, including a potential historic normalisation agreement with Saudi Arabia. “Israel could be part of a regional security network to counter the threat posed by Iran,” Biden said.
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Ayush signs off with silver at Badminton Asia Championships
Ningbo (China) (PTI): India's Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as India's 61-year wait for a men's singles gold at the event continued.
Despite the loss, it was a creditable campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men's singles player after Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece.
Khanna remains the only Indian singles champion at the event, having won the title in 1965. Since then, only the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lifted the trophy, winning it in 2023.
World No. 25 Ayush entered the contest on the back of defeats to Shi at the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this year and the Indonesia Masters last season. However, he had played with far greater control and attacking clarity this week, toppling world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and world No. 7 Li Shi Feng en route to the final.
However, the Indian, a product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, failed to counter the tactical discipline of Shi, who used his repertoire of strokes and deception to deny Ayush the opportunity to play his natural attacking game.
Shi dictated the geometry of the court from the outset, controlling the net exchanges and forcing Ayush into the forecourt battle early. The variation in the Chinese player’s game blunted the Indian’s attack, as his smashes lacked precision and he succumbed to scoreboard pressure, leading to rushed shot-making.
Shi Yu Qi logged the opening points with two fine net dribbles to race to a 4-0 lead, as Ayush’s smashes lacked precision early on and he trailed 2-6. A long rally ended with the Chinese player going wide, offering the Indian some respite. A deceptive net shot helped Shi move to 7-4, and he extended the lead to 11-6 as Ayush struggled for control, committing a string of unforced errors.
Shi mixed it up effectively, producing a lovely drop shot and repeatedly drawing the Indian to the forecourt with cross returns like a metronome, forcing errors. Two down-the-line smashes gave Shi a massive cushion of game points, and he sealed the opening game when Ayush sprayed a return wide.
The Indian needed a complete reset to stay alive, and he responded with a thunderous straight smash before diving on both flanks to keep the shuttle in play and move to 3-1 in the second game. Shi continued to test Ayush with backhand deceptive net strokes and pushes to the deep, but the Indian managed to retrieve everything and even found his precision in time, with an on-the-line smash confirmed by Hawk-Eye and a well-constructed rally taking him to 7-2.
However, he couldn't hold on to the momentum as the Chinese clawed back to 7-7 after two long shots and a smash into the net from Ayush. A return that kissed the backline from Shi, followed by another error from Ayush at the net and a return into the net, handed the Chinese the advantage once again at the interval, as he led 11-8.
Shi’s ability to place the shuttle into empty spaces with his repertoire of strokes, often punctuated by a fierce smash, made life difficult for the Indian as he stretched the lead to 13-8. Soon, the Chinese was up 15-9 with another powerful smash.
A body return followed by a straight smash took him to 17-9, and another long shot from Ayush further dented his chances. A perfectly angled smash into the forehand corner brought Shi within two points of victory. He then unleashed a cross-court smash to earn 10 match points and sealed the contest with a return that cramped the Indian, targeting his hip.
