Israeli officials were outraged on Monday
after U.S. President Barack Obama urged Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to announce an "immediate, unconditional humanitarian
cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip.
"Obama is stopping Israel just when we have Hamas against the wall," a senior official told an Israeli news media outlet.
Israel's ministers and MKs also voiced their
extreme displeasure with the American pressure, with Housing and
Construction Minister Uri Ariel directing his angry comments directly at
the American president, saying, "Leave us alone; go focus on Syria."
In an interview with Army Radio, Ariel said that Israel's military offensive in Gaza should have been more aggressive.
"It was obvious that international pressure
would mount eventually," Ariel said. "We should have acted faster,
harder and with more determination. The rocket threat needs to be
tackled. The tunnel threat is being addressed, but it is not enough."
Likud deputy minister Tzipi Hotovely also
criticized the American demand, saying, "Israel needs to reject Obama's
call. The American proposal serves only the interests of Hamas. For the
first time in years there is an overwhelming majority of Israelis who
support the continuation of the operation. The Israeli government needs
to change the rules of the game in Gaza and defeat Hamas."
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
Chairman MK Zeev Elkin said that "the fact that Hamas is still shooting
means that it is not afraid. Hamas has not reached a true breaking
point. We cannot allow Hamas to leave this confrontation with
victories."
In his conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday,
Obama urged an "immediate, unconditional humanitarian cease-fire that
ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities
based on the November 2012 cease-fire agreement."
In a statement about the phone call, the White
House said, "The president stressed the U.S. view that, ultimately, any
lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must ensure the
disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarization of Gaza."
According to the White House, Obama
"underscored the enduring importance of ensuring Israel’s security,
protecting civilians, alleviating Gaza's humanitarian crisis, and
enacting a sustainable cease-fire that both allows Palestinians in Gaza
to lead normal lives and addresses Gaza's long-term development and
economic needs, while strengthening the Palestinian Authority."
Obama also reaffirmed U.S. support for the
Egyptian cease-fire initiative, giving the impression he was trying to
correct the impression created by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's
conduct. There has been sharp criticism of Kerry both in Israel and the
Palestinian Authority in the wake of Kerry's cease-fire effort last
week.
In Ramallah, Palestinian Authority officials
are furious that Kerry presented the cease-fire conditions of Hamas,
Qatar and Turkey as an American proposal. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
quoted senior Palestinian Authority officials as saying, "Kerry tried to
bypass Abbas and sabotage the cease-fire initiative formulated by the
Egyptians, which was accepted both by the Palestinian Authority and by
Israel. The U.S. secretary of state repeatedly demonstrates a
fundamental misunderstanding of diplomatic processes in the Middle East.
Kerry formulated an alternative outline to appease Qatar and Turkey and
did not consult at all with the relevant officials in Cairo, Ramallah
and Israel."
In light of Kerry's behavior, a senior
American official briefed Israeli journalists on Sunday night, saying,
"All parties understand and agree that Egyptian leadership is necessary.
This is why Secretary of State Kerry held meetings in Cairo. Egypt must
be involved in finding a long-term solution."
The official said that Kerry's talks with Qatar and Turkey were meant to help mediate with Hamas.
"The attacks on Kerry, as if he betrayed the
partnership with Israel, were particularly offensive," the official
said. According to the official, Kerry's efforts were focused on
reaching a seven-day cease-fire. The official noted that the document
presented as an American proposal was based on Egyptian text from a week
before. He said the document contained no explicit mention of tunnels
or the demilitarization of Gaza, because these issues were not included
in the document on which the November 2012 cease-fire (which brought
Operation Pillar of Defense to an end) was based.
"The demilitarization of Gaza is a goal that
the U.S. supports and it will certainly be part of the negotiations,"
the official said.
Late Sunday night, the Diplomatic-Security
Cabinet -- consisting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense
Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman,
Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, Public Security Minister Yitzhak
Aharonovitch, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni,
and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett -- convened to discuss
the future of Operation Protective Edge. Lieberman, Aharonovitch and
Bennett oppose a cease-fire, and Lieberman and Bennett have called for
an expansion of the operation.
On Sunday, Bennett wrote on his Facebook page,
"Now is the time to decide. The goal: to make the Gaza Strip like Judea
and Samaria -- without missiles, without tunnels. The southern front
with Gaza can be finished once and for all. We can prove to our enemies,
our neighbors, to the world and to ourselves, that we can overcome
Islamic terrorism. For the first time in years, it's within reach."
Netanyahu, Ya'alon, Lapid and Livni believe
that once the IDF destroys the tunnels under the Gaza border, Israel
could seek a cease-fire that would include a significant diplomatic
achievement on the demilitarization of Gaza.
In a series of interviews with international
media outlets on Sunday, Netanyahu said the IDF would keep up its
anti-tunnel activities. Operation Protective Edge would continue,
Netanyahu said, until Israel reaches its goal of achieving a prolonged
period of quiet for its citizens.
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