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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Sambhal violence: Prohibitory orders issued, outsiders barred from entry till Nov 30
Sambhal (UP) (PTI): The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders till November 30 after three men were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured in a violence by protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque.
The order has been issued under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya late on Sunday.
"No outsiders, other social organisations or public representatives will enter the district border without the permission of the competent officer," said the order, which came into force with immediate effect.
Violation of the order will be punishable under Section 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the BNS.
Violence broke out in the district on Sunday as protesters opposing the survey of the Jama Masjid clashed with security personnel. The protesters torched vehicles and pelted the police with stones while the security personnel used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.
Divisional Commissioner (Moradabad) Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said on Sunday, "Shots were fired by miscreants... the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence."
A constable also suffered a serious head injury while the deputy collector fractured his leg.
"Three people, identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman, have been killed," Singh said.
Twenty-one people, including two women, have been detained and a probe has been launched, the official had said, adding that those accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya said, "The casualty count stands at three. The reason for the deaths of two is clear -- bullet wounds from countrymade pistols. The reason for the death of the third person is not clear but it will be after post-mortem."
Internet services were soon suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours and the district administration declared a holiday in all schools for Monday.
Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the Jama Masjid was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site.
Trouble started early on Sunday when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began its work.
District officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday to avoid interference with afternoon prayers.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had earlier said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "advocate commission" to survey the mosque.
The court has said a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.
On Sunday, Jain urged the Archaeological Survey of India to take control of the "temple".
Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, had earlier claimed the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.
