Mike Whitney – The Unz Review June 11, 2024

Biden: Israel is offering a ceasefire.
Israel: We’re not.
Biden: I negotiated this ceasefire
Israel: There’s no ceasefire agreement.
Biden: The ceasefire will begin soon.
Israel: It won’t.
Rinse and repeat. @Pimso B

The Biden administration’s ceasefire resolution is a cynical fraud aimed at airbrushing Israel’s tattered image while laying the groundwork for the final expulsion of the Palestinian people. In truth, there won’t be a ceasefire because Netanyahu and his entire cabinet are adamantly opposed to ending the hostilities. There’s not even any gray area here. After the US-drafted resolution was passed on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office delivered a terse statement saying the following:

“The claim that Israel agreed to end the war before achieving all its goals is a total lie,” says the PMO….

The full document, argues Netanyahu’s office, would show that “Israel will not end the war until all its conditions are met — that is, fighting until Hamas is eliminated, returning all of our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never again represents a threat to Israel.” (Times of Israel)

Repeat: “Israel will not end the war until all its conditions are met — (and) until Hamas is eliminated.”

So, what was the point of pushing through a ceasefire resolution when it had zero chance of being implemented? Was it just a publicity stunt?

And, why is Secretary of State Anthony Blinken –not only saying that Israel supports the proposal– but that Israel actually had a hand in crafting its language. Here’s Blinken on Monday:

“First, let me be very clear, Israel has accepted the proposal, in fact, they were critical in putting it forward. It is the official position of the Israeli government, the prime minister. So, the only party that has not said ‘Yes’ is Hamas. That’s who everyone is waiting on. That’s who the Palestinians are waiting on, it’s who the Israelis are waiting on, and it’s who the hostages and the hostage families are waiting on. It’s who the entire region and the entire world are waiting on. So, we’ll see, does Hamas want to end this war that it started or not? We’ll find out. But it’s clear that virtually the entire world has come together in support of the proposal. So, the only question is will Hamas say ‘Yes’? @AssalRad

This is a total fabrication and Blinken knows it:

Israel has NOT accepted the proposal

Israel was NOT “critical in putting the ceasefire resolution forward”

The ceasefire resolution is NOT “the official position of the Israeli government (and) the prime minister.”

These are baldfaced lies, and very stupid lies at that, because they can be easily checked and disproved. Take a look:

Repeat: “In a preemptive response to the UN Security Council’s decision, Netanyahu says, “We will not agree to any deal that leads to ending the war.”

LinkBookmarkNetanyahu’s position is crystal clear and has been for a long time: The rampage will continue for the foreseeable future. So, why is Blinken deliberately misleading the public? What is the objective here? This is from CNN just hours after the resolution was approved by the UNSC:

Israel has vowed to persist with its military operation in Gaza, saying it won’t engage in “meaningless” negotiations with Hamas, shortly after the United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly approved a US-backed ceasefire plan intended to bring an end to the eight-month war…

(Israel’s) senior diplomat (Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly) said the war would not end until all hostages were returned and Hamas’ capabilities were “dismantled,” accusing the Palestinian militant group of using “endless negotiations… as a means to stall for time.”

Her comments came after 14 of the 15 UNSC council members voted in favor of Monday’s US-drafted resolution, with only Russia abstaining – the first time the council has endorsed such a plan to end the war…..

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a diplomatic trip to the Middle East, said Tuesday that in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Israeli leader “reaffirmed his commitment” to the current proposal to secure a ceasefire and hostage release, which is still awaiting an answer from Hamas. Blinken said that he got an explicit assurance from Netanyahu that he continues to support the deal, and will accept it if Hamas agrees to what is on the table. …

But an Israeli statement on Tuesday indicated it was poised to formally sign up to the current ceasefire plan for Gaza, while at the same time maintaining the freedom to keep fighting… Israel vows to press on in Gaza after UN Security Council approves ceasefire proposal, CNN

Can you see how ridiculous and Orwellian this is? Israel will agree to a ceasefire as long as it has “the freedom to keep fighting”. Huh? In case you’re wondering, the definition of “ceasefire” is “a suspension of fighting.” Therefore, we must assume that if the fighting continues, there is no ceasefire.

By the way, Hamas has already agreed to the terms of the ceasefire which is another blow to Blinken’s crazy plan to try to make Israel look like the peacemaker. Here’ more from CNN:

Hamas welcomed the adoption of the UNSC resolution, saying in a statement it was ready to engage with mediators to implement measures such as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, prisoner exchange, returning residents to their homes and the “rejection of any demographic change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip.” …

The Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said the Palestinian Authority – which governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank – welcomed the deal as a “step in the right direction.”…

“We want a ceasefire,” (but) the “burden is on the Israeli side to implement this resolution.”

“The proof is in the pudding. We will see who are the ones who are interested to see this resolution to become a reality and those who are obstructing it and want to continue the war of genocide against our people,” he added. CNN

It’s worth noting, that just a few days ago, Israeli diplomats met with US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield to express their opposition to the Biden ceasefire resolution. The Israelis even objected to it being called a “ceasefire”. They preferred the less permanent-sounding phrase a “cessation of hostilities.”

Israel also objected to “the updated draft’s call for both sides to fully implement the latest hostage deal proposal. The earlier version only called on Hamas to accept the proposal.” (Times of Israel)

Israel also objected to a clause in the resolution that “rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip”. (which suggests that the native population could face ethnic cleansing.) The Israeli envoy also wanted to omit any mention of America’s “unwavering commitment to achieving the vision of a negotiated two-state solution… consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions, and in this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”

According to the Times of Israel:

The two-state framework is rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has also worked to weaken the PA, likening the governing body to Hamas.

So, if Israel had expressed its opposition to a ceasefire so forcefully just days earlier, then why did the members of the Security Council believe that they (Israel) had suddenly changed their mind?

It makes no sense.

The only country that wasn’t duped by the ceasefire hoax was Russia who abstained from the vote on a US-proposed resolution. In explaining why Russia chose to abstain, Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said the following:

We have a number of questions about the American draft resolution, in which the Council welcomes a certain “deal” whose final contours are still unknown to anyone save the mediators themselves. The information circulating in open sources is quite contradictory. The sponsors have not informed the Security Council of the details of the agreements. We are essentially being offered to buy “a pig in a poke”.

There was no negotiations process as such on the draft resolution. The sponsors offered variations of the final text, in effect demanding that Security Council members sign up to them under time pressure.

Hamas has been called to accept the so-called “deal”. But there is still no clarity as to whether Israel has formally agreed, as stipulated in the resolution, to the “deal” proposed by President Biden, given numerous statements by Israel on continuing the war until Hamas is completely defeated. What exactly did Israel agree to? Perhaps we are going to hear the answer to that question today from the Israeli representative?

We are convinced that the Security Council should not subscribe to agreements with vague parameters, without guarantees of their implementation on the ground, and also without any clear understanding of how the parties feel about them. In essence, the Council is giving carte blanche and endorsing a plan whose details it does not know. The parameters listed in the three paragraphs are not the details. Since the escalation in Gaza began, the Council has already adopted three resolutions whose implementation remains only on paper. This one may become the fourth. Explanation of vote by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia after UNSC vote on a US-proposed draft resolution on Gaza, ru

In short, the Russian envoy to the UN saw through Blinken’s absurd scam and refused to play-along. Now we can see he did the right thing. Now we can see that the administration was trying to rig the Security Council vote by suggesting that Israel supported measures that Israel did not support. That may have helped to pass the resolution, but it didn’t help to put pressure on Netanyahu or force him to end the hostilities in Gaza. Instead, the whole matter has rebounded on the administration and made it look like they will engage in all manner of counterproductive skulduggery in order to get their way.

And what is it that the administration wants?

Well, apparently, they want a ceasefire. Apparently, the deepening isolation and reputational damage has gotten so bad that western elites are ready to throw in the towel. As President Biden said “it’s time for this war to end.”

But if the Biden administration is serious about a ceasefire, then they should have the courage to stand up and say so, instead of manipulating outcomes at the Security Council.

They need to suspend the weapons shipments and cut off the funding pronto. That is the only language Netanyahu and his cadres understand.

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