The Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages, an Israeli group created to represent the families of those taken during Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack, urged President Joe Biden to stop interfering with Israel’s campaign to destroy the terrorist group.
Their statement comes after Biden falsely claimed during a press conference that Israel had “offered” a “comprehensive new proposal” that included measures Israel says it never accepted and would never accept under any circumstance.
During his press conference, Biden had attacked Israel for wanting “total victory” over Hamas after the terrorist group murdered 1,200 people during the October 7 massacre, and claimed that destroying Hamas would “not bring Israel lasting security.”
Hamas issued a statement following the press conference announcing that it “positively views what was included in the speech of U.S. President Joe Biden today.”
“The Biden administration’s continued pressure on the Israeli government’s decision-making during this existential war is unacceptable,” the group said. “The outline proposed by President Biden, ostensibly on behalf of the Israeli government, is a proposal that endangers the future of the State of Israel.”
The group asked Biden to trust the “experience and expertise” of the Israelis to know what is the best to navigate the situation in the Middle East.
“Hamas must be completely destroyed. Every sign of weakness will empower it to commit the next massacre,” they said. “The abductees will only be returned if Hamas is totally dismantled and begs for help.”
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“If Gazans are allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip before the release of all the hostages, Israel will lose a key form of pressure. One that can cost our hostages’ lives,” the statement concluded. “Please, Honorable @POTUS, respect the decisions made by Israel’s elected leadership and stand by us as a true ally in this difficult time.”
The Biden administration’s continued pressure on the Israeli government’s decision-making during this existential war is unacceptable.
The outline proposed by President Biden, ostensibly on behalf of the Israeli government, is a proposal that endangers the future of the State…
— פורום תקווה (@forum_tikva) June 4, 2024
The Biden administration also published a graphic that outlined the plan Biden claimed that Israel agreed to, which Israel quickly pushed back against.
Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office debunked the graphic over the weekend, saying that its own proposal allowed “Israel to continue the war until all its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.”
“The actual proposal put forward by Israel, including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to uphold these principles,” the statement continued.
Nearly 12 hours later, Netanyahu’s office issued a second statement that was even more pointed in countering Biden’s claims.
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” the statement said. “Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
