Biden-backed ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas faces strong headwinds: ANALYSIS

In a speech at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel's offensive in Gaza had degraded Hamas to the point that it could no longer carry out another large-scale terrorist attack against Israel and said he It was time to set the course for lasting peace by reaching an agreement. ceasefire agreement.

“It’s time for this war to end and start tomorrow,” Biden said, before outlining the outlines of a three-phase plan that he called Israel’s “new comprehensive proposal.”

But later in the same speech, Biden appeared to acknowledge that even if Israel authored the plan, its leaders' commitment to its terms was not a foregone conclusion.

“I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some, some are even part of the governing coalition,” he said. “Well, I urged the nation of Israel to support this deal, regardless of the pressures.”

The president also called on Hamas to accept the proposal.

“Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This agreement is an opportunity to prove whether it really means it,” he said. “Hamas must accept the deal.”

Sensitive diplomatic negotiations usually take place in secret, but administration officials say the president was motivated to inform Americans about U.S. efforts to end the conflict, which became a significant political liability for Biden as he seeks re-election.

After Biden's speech, Hamas reacted positively, issuing a statement saying the group remained ready to “address in a positive and constructive manner any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, the return of the displaced to all their places of residence. residence and the conclusion of a serious prisoner exchange agreement.

But Hamas has yet to react directly to the latest proposal itself, which was conveyed to the group on Thursday.

Over months of on-and-off talks, some U.S. officials have become increasingly skeptical that Hamas would accept a deal that would allow all living hostages to be released without guaranteeing that the group could maintain its grip on Gaza – a situation that Biden administration and Israel say is untenable.

Earlier in the week, Hamas also told mediators trying to broker a ceasefire deal that it would not even return to the negotiating table until Israel had completely stopped its military campaign.

Biden said the first phase of the proposal he announced Friday would last six weeks and include a “comprehensive ceasefire”; the withdrawal of Israeli forces “from all populated areas of Gaza”; the release of a “certain number of hostages”, including women, the elderly and the wounded, and, in exchange, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

In the second phase, he noted that if “Hamas respects its commitments,” the temporary ceasefire would become a “definitive cessation of hostilities,” citing the Israeli proposal.

Senior Biden administration officials acknowledged that a deal was not on the immediate horizon, but some expressed optimism that the new proposal could spark new momentum.

“What is on the table now is very close to the deal that Hamas promised to accept,” one official said.

But throughout the negotiations, Hamas repeatedly proved unreliable, changing its demands and often backtracking when all sides appeared to be close to reaching an agreement, according to sources familiar with the matter.

“The president's fundamental failure is to treat Hamas and Hezbollah as legitimate political actors rather than brutal terrorist organizations supported by Iran,” said Richard Goldberg, former director of Countering Iranian Weapons of Destruction. at the White House National Security Council and former Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction at the White House National Security Council. senior advisor to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.

Earlier in May, Hamas rejected a similar proposal that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior Biden administration officials presented as the best and final offer, citing concerns that it would not work. far enough to ensure a lasting end to the conflict.

Biden admitted that the parameters of the current offer are also undefined, saying there are a “number of details” that would need to be negotiated after the first phase of the deal is implemented.

And despite their status as close allies, even the United States and Israel have also struggled to reach a common vision for Gaza's future, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains staunchly opposed to Palestinian statehood and adamant that Israel must retain control of security. of the Gaza Strip after the war.

ABC News' Fritz Farrow, Michelle Stoddart and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.