The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they occur.
France delivers proposal for Hezbollah withdrawal, border talks for Israel-Lebanon truce
France has delivered a written proposal to Beirut aimed at ending hostilities with Israel and settling the disputed Lebanon-Israel frontier, according to a document seen by Reuters that calls for Hezbollah and other groups to withdraw 10 km (6 miles) from the border.
The plan aims to end fighting between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel at the border. The hostilities have run in parallel to the Gaza war and are fueling concern of a ruinous, all-out confrontation.
The document, the first written proposal brought to Beirut during weeks of Western mediation, was delivered to top Lebanese state officials including Prime Minister Najib Mikati by French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne last week, four senior Lebanese and three French officials say.
The three-step plan envisages a 10-day process of de-escalation ending with the border negotiations.
One French diplomatic source said the proposal had been put to the governments of Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah. France has historical ties with Lebanon. It has 20,000 citizens in the country and some 800 troops as part of a UN peacekeeping force.
“We made proposals. We are in contact with the Americans and it’s important that we bring together all initiatives and build peace,” Sejourne tells a news conference.
The plan proposes Lebanese armed groups and Israel would cease military operations against each other, including Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.
Since October 8, a day after the October 7 massacre by terror ally Hamas, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in six civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of nine IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 193 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 29 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 19 civilians, three of whom were journalists, have been killed.
Israel has been warning that if Hezbollah does not move back from the northern border in accordance with UN Resolution 1701, it will be forced to take action.
The French document declares the aim of preventing a conflict “that risks spiraling out of control” and enforcing “a potential ceasefire, when the conditions are right” and ultimately envisions negotiations on delineation of the contentious land border between Lebanon and Israel.
Hezbollah rejects formally negotiating a de-escalation until the war in Gaza ends, a position reiterated by a Hezbollah politician in response to questions for this story.
While some details of similar mediation efforts by US Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein have been circulating in recent weeks, the full details of the French written proposal delivered to Lebanon have not previously been reported.
Jordan’s King Abdullah: October 7 attacks cannot be accepted by any Muslim
Jordan’s King Abdullah gives one of his most pointed criticisms of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.
“All attacks against innocent civilians, women and children, including those of October 7, cannot be accepted by any Muslim,” he says alongside US President Joe Biden.
“As I have previously stressed, we must make sure the horrors of the past few months since October 7, are never repeated, nor accepted by any human being.”
“We must together, along with Arab partners and the international community, step up efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately start working to create a political horizon that leads to a just and comprehensive peace” on the pre-1967 lines, he says.
“This is the only solution that will guarantee peace and security for the Palestinians and the Israelis as well as the entire region.
Abdullah expresses alarm over ‘continued escalations by extremist settlers in West Bank and East Jerusalem’
Jordan’s King Abdullah turns to the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, expressing alarm over the roughly 400 Palestinians killed in those areas since October 7.
The vast majority of those Palestinians were killed in clashes or attacks on IDF troops, though some lost their lives during altercations with settlers.
“Continued escalations by extremist settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem’s holy sites and the expansion of illegal settlements will unleash chaos on the entire region,” the Hashemite leader warns, claiming that “the vast majority of Muslim worshippers are not being allowed to enter Al Aqsa Mosque and that Christian churches have also voiced concerns about increasing and unprecedented restrictions and threats.”
“It is also important to stress that the separation of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be accepted,” he says, calling for an end to Israel’s military control over those areas. “Military and security solutions are not the answer. They can never bring peace.”
Standing alongside Biden, Jordan king urges support for UNRWA, whose US funding has been halted
Standing alongside the president of the United States, which suspended its funding to UNRWA amid allegations that 12 employees participated in the October 7 terror onslaught, Jordan’s King Abdullah urges continued support for the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
“No other UN agency can do what UNRWA is doing, helping the people of Gaza through this humanitarian catastrophe,” he says.
“Its work in other areas of operation, especially in Jordan, where 2.3 million are registered is also vital,” the Hashemite leader said. “It is imperative that UNRWA continues to receive the support it needs to carry out its mandate.”
He appears to take aim at Israel for restricting aid going into Gaza. “Restrictions on vital relief aid and medical items are leading to inhumane conditions.”
Israel says it approves all shipments, save for items that could pose a security risk.
Jordan king: We can’t afford IDF attack on Rafah, which will bring another catastrophe
Jordan’s King Abdullah begins his post-White House meeting remarks by asserting, “We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.”
Israel says it is planning to operate in the southern Gaza city in order to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Friday that civilians will be allowed to evacuate first.
Where they will be able to evacuate remains unclear as Israel is opposed to allowing Palestinians to return to the north, which has been largely destroyed, and Egypt is refusing to accept refugees due to fears that Israel will not allow them back into Gaza after the war.
“The situation is already unbearable for over a million people who have been pushed into Rafah since the war started. We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end,” Abdullah says, noting that nearly “100,000 people have been killed, injured or are missing — the majority are women and children — since the war began.
“The potential threat of Palestinian displacement beyond the borders of Gaza and the West Bank is something we view with extreme concern and cannot be allowed,” he adds.
Biden reiterates US opposition to Rafah operation that doesn’t take civilians into account
Speaking after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, US President Joe Biden reiterates that no Israeli military operation should move forward in Rafah “without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support” for the over one million people sheltering there, many after they were already displaced several times by the war.
“We’ve also been clear from the start that we oppose any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” Biden reiterates.
He says the US is working to ensure that the Rafah and Kerem Shalom Crossings remain open for humanitarian aid and to get additional crossings open. Last week, the US called for the Erez Crossing to be opened by Israel in order to allow more direct entry of aid ton northern Gaza. Biden also stresses the need for aid workers to be able to safely deliver the assistance throughout Gaza once it enters the Strip, amid repeated concerns from aid agencies that deconfliction mechanisms the IDF has in place are insufficient, leading to many strikes on aid convoys.
Biden hails Jordan’s efforts to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza, pointing to the airdrops the king himself has joined.
Biden: PA must urgently reform so it can effectively deliver for Palestinians
“We’re working to create the conditions for lasting peace… with Israeli security guarantees and Palestinian aspirations for their own state fulfilled. I say this as a long lifelong supportive Israel. That’s the only path that guarantees Israel’s security for the long term,” Biden says after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah.
“To achieve it, the Palestinians must also seize the opportunity. The Palestinian Authority must urgently reform so it can effectively deliver for the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza,” Biden continues.
“Once Hamas control of Gaza is over. [The PA] must prepare to build a state that accepts peace, does not harbor terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.”
“We’ve started to integrate the region, to bring about peace between Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including [a future] Palestinian state. That effort was already underway before October 7 attacks. It’s even more urgent today,” Biden says.
The president goes on to nod at Jordan’s “unique role” as custodian of Jerusalem holy sites.
“It’s difficult times like these that the bonds between nations are more important than ever,” Biden concludes.