Israel's initial rejection of the US's “groundbreaking” ceasefire agreement with Lebanon is causing confusion

CNN
—

Senior US officials were virtually triumphant on Wednesday evening: The United States and a large number of its allies had, after days of feverish talks, drawn up a proposal to establish a ceasefire on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

In a hastily arranged phone call with reporters just moments after the release of a joint statement, senior administration officials hailed the framework as “a major breakthrough.” The nations' proposed 21-day pause in fighting would allow time for diplomacy and could prevent the outbreak of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

It was clear to these officials: The question was not whether Israel and Hezbollah would accept the ceasefire proposal, but when exactly. Both Israel and Hezbollah were “familiar with the text,” one official said, and the U.S. felt comfortable making the framework public, assuming both sides would be willing to sign it.

But just hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would reject the multinational proposal with cold water. Initially, the Prime Minister's Office released a statement saying that all reports of an impending ceasefire were “false” and that the IDF would continue fighting with “full force.”

Then the Prime Minister himself told the press as he stepped off his plane in New York City: “My policy, our policy is clear: we continue to strike Hezbollah with all our might.” We will not stop until we achieve all of our objectives have.”

Some 24 hours after the White House announced the ceasefire proposal, there is still no sign that Israel and Hezbollah are ready to agree to it. Israel's initial reaction was clearly not the response the White House was expecting, and it immediately raised the question of why, if Israel agreed with the proposal, its leader seemed so eager to reject it.

“We are shocked,” a U.S. official said, underscoring his deep frustration after hoping Israel would accept the proposal.

“Not a complete surprise, but not helpful either,” a second U.S. official said.

There were quiet rumors in Washington that domestic politics could play a role for Netanyahu, as right-wing Israeli ministers – on whom Netanyahu relied to maintain his ruling coalition – expressed outrage at reports of a US-backed ceasefire.

A U.S. source, who suggested that the Israeli government was influenced by the negative reaction to the proposal at home, expressed frustration and said the U.S. would not have been so optimistic if there had not been strong private indications that that the Israelis were ready to accept the proposal framework.

The source said they do not expect negotiations to be completed in the coming days but expect the process to be lengthy. And as long as Israel does not publicly accept this, Hezbollah will not feel any pressure, they added.

The confidence of American officials in announcing the proposal on Wednesday was derived in part because they were dealing with Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu's closest confidants, when they drafted and revised the text of the statement. Ceasefire talks began Monday with a conversation between Dermer and Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser.

U.S. officials were under the impression that Netanyahu would favor a pause in fighting and were encouraged to work with French officials to draft a statement calling for a 21-day ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday it would be a “mistake” for Netanyahu to reject the ceasefire, but added that the United States would have to increase pressure on Israel to accept its terms.

Netanyahu's apparent about-face amounted to a major disappointment, but for some officials it also underscored a reality that has existed for months: Netanyahu's willingness to publicly and openly break with Biden, especially if he faces internal political resistance in Israel.

In a statement released Thursday evening, the Prime Minister's Office said: “Israel shares the goals of the US-led initiative to enable people along our northern border to return safely to their homes.”

“Israel appreciates the U.S. efforts,” the statement said, promising that talks would continue “in the coming days.”

Meanwhile, White House officials faced a barrage of questions from reporters throughout the day Thursday — and had no good answers.

Asked about the apparent discrepancy between the US and Israel, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the multinational statement was “actually coordinated with the Israeli side.” Talks between the negotiating parties in New York are “ongoing,” she continued, but did not explain why Netanyahu and his office appeared to have no interest at all in agreeing to the temporary ceasefire.

White House spokesman John Kirby was even clearer in admitting that he didn't have a good explanation for Netanyahu's comments. “I can’t speak for Prime Minister Netanyahu, I can’t answer the question of why he said what he said,” he told reporters.

“What I can tell you is that the statement we worked on last night was not simply created in a vacuum,” Kirby added. “This was done after careful consultation, not only with the countries that signed it, but also with Israel itself.”

Kirby even acknowledged that the plan would not have been released Wednesday night if the U.S. didn't believe Netanyahu and his government were on board.

For now, government officials continue to insist that talks are still ongoing and expressed hope that news could come within hours. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with senior Israeli officials in New York on Thursday afternoon, although many U.S. officials were open to the possibility that Netanyahu might not come on board.

Dermer and Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog declined when CNN asked before that meeting whether they would accept the ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah.

Dermer joked that “less is more” when speaking as a diplomat, pointing out that the day of meetings had just begun.

This story has been updated with additional details.