Ceasefire proposal: Biden publicised it, unilateral move

US President Joe Biden had deliberately publicised the Gaza ceasefire proposal and the move was unilateral move without an aye from Israel.

It was done in such a manner to prevent Israel and Hamas from backing away from the deal.

“We didn’t ask permission to announce the proposal,” said a senior U.S. official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the negotiations.

“We informed the Israelis we were going to give a speech on the situation in Gaza. We did not go into great detail about what it was,” said a US official who did not want to be named, Reuters reported.

The proposal involves an initial six-week ceasefire with an Israeli military withdrawal from populated areas of Gaza and the release of some hostages while “a permanent end to hostilities” is negotiated through mediators.

It seeks to build on a deal Hamas accepted earlier this year by keeping a ceasefire in place as negotiations continue, with the aim of reaching a permanent cessation of hostilities, a long-standing Hamas demand.

Malaysia is also backing the US on this ceasefire proposal.

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