Rejecting Biden's ceasefire plan 'death sentence' to captives: Lapid
3 Min Read
The opposition leader reminds Netanyahu that he will be offered a "safety net" in case he accepts the deal against threats of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to collapse the government.
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US President Joe Biden holds a joint press conference with then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid in occupied al-Quds, on July 14, 2022 (Handout)
The leader of the opposition in "Israel", Yair Lapid, urged the government to accept the proposal put forth by US President Joe Biden regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as the genocidal war hits its eight-month mark.
Biden laid out on Friday a new three-phase proposal that involves releasing Israeli captives in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden’s important speech. There is a deal on the table and it should take it,” Lapid posted on X.
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Lapid said in another post that the recent interview with the advisor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "proves that Israeli has already announced that it has accepted the deal." However, if that "acceptance was retracted," Lapid warned, it would be a "death sentence" for the captives held by the Palestinian Resistance and would result in a "crisis of trust with the Americans" and countries mediating the talks.
'Safety net'
Far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to resign from Netanyahu's government Saturday if he agreed to Biden's suggested plan.
Ben-Gvir threatened that his party would "dissolve the government," denouncing the idea as "a victory for terrorism and a security risk to the State of Israel".
The opposition leader had earlier offered Netanyahu a "safety net" in case the prime minister moved forward with an exchange deal against the will of the two ministers.
Read more: 'Bitter truth' is 'Israel' near 'strategic defeat': Ex-Israeli MK
Lapid reiterated his assurance on X, saying, "I remind Netanyahu that he has our safety net for a hostage deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government."
Families of captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza demanded on Saturday during angry protests in Tel Aviv that the government accept Biden's proposal.
They accused the "extremists in the government" of sacrificing the captives to prolong the war, according to Israeli Channel 12, and called on the Israeli public to accept the US president's plan, affirming that it was "forbidden to lose this moment," and that Biden for the first time gave "real hope."
