Biden and Macron's one-sided ceasefire proposal harshly criticized for seeking to save Hezbollah

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron presented a joint statement for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"It is time for a settlement on the Israel-Lebanon border that ensures safety and security to enable civilians to return to their homes," the text reads. "The exchange of fire since October 7th, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict and harm to civilians."

The statement, which is supported by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, calls on all parties, including the Israeli and Lebanese governments, to approve this 21-day cease-fire in line with UN resolution 1701 and then "give diplomacy a chance." This resolution, passed 18 years ago, requires, among other things, that Hezbollah withdraw north of the Litani River, something the terrorist group is not complying with.

Israel's strong criticism of Biden and Macron's proposal

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, took aim at Biden and Macron's statement. "The most basic and understandable thing is that when your enemy is on his knees, you don't allow him to recover, but you work to defeat him," he said. He added that a ceasefire "conveys weakness, endangers the safety of your citizens and shows that you have no intention of winning. If the cease-fire is temporary, it becomes permanent," he said.

Bezalel Smotrich, the Jewish State's finance minister, joined in the criticism against the proposal. "The campaign in the north must end with one scenario: the crushing of Hezbollah and the elimination of its ability to harm the residents of the north," he argued. "We must not give the enemy time to recover from the heavy blows it has suffered and reorganize for the continuation of the war," he added.

In the same vein, Miki Zohar, Israel's minister of culture and sports, said that a truce without any significant concessions from Hezbollah "is a grave mistake that jeopardizes Israel's major security achievements in recent days."

Netanyahu refuses to reach ceasefire with Hezbollah

Following a series of reports that Israel was considering reaching a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied the claims, stating that the reports are false. Netanyahu clarified that the ceasefire is a Franco-American proposal and he has not yet responded to it. 

The statement issued by Netanyahu's office was released as the Israeli prime minister was leaving for the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.