Netanyahu ‘Shares Aims’ of US-led Ceasefire Ahead of UN Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested his country is tacitly in favor of the Lebanon ceasefire plan proposed by the U.S., despite widespread rejections of the initiative from Israeli political and military figures.
In the early hours of Friday morning, ahead of Netanyahu’s hotly anticipated address to the United Nations in New York today, the prime minister’s office released a statement in an effort to clarify Israel’s position amid what it called “misreporting.”
“Earlier this week, the United States shared with Israel its intention to put forward, together with other international and regional partners, a ceasefire proposal in Lebanon,” the statement read. “Israel shares the aims of the U.S.-led initiative of enabling people along our northern border to return safely and securely to their homes.”
Mass displacement has swept Lebanon since Israel began its air assault, with around 211,319 internally displaced people currently in the country, according to ReliefWeb on Friday, citing Unicef and the International Organization for Migration.
On Thursday, a 12-strong group of nations, including the U.S., U.K. and France called for a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, in order to end the “intolerable” hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
The 21-day pause is intended to provide the necessary “space for diplomacy” for the two parties to engage in some form of talks, and the statement also indicated the bloc’s support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s statement was also intended to “clarify a few points”, his statement said.
On Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told troops that the ongoing strikes against Lebanon were intended to “prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”
On Thursday, the prime minister’s office released a statement concerning the U.S.-led initiative, which read: “This is a U.S.-French proposal to which the prime minister did not even respond. The news about a so-called directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth.”
This was followed by Foreign Minister Israel Katz dismissing rumors of a truce and declaring: “there will be no ceasefire in the north.”
Netanyahu’s statement comes ahead of his Friday morning speech at the United Nations, where he is expected to address the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Netanyahu’s speech was delayed from Monday, following the launch of the most brutal attack on Lebanon since the invasion of 2006.
Protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza gathered on Thursday at New York Public Library, before marching to a rally held outside the U.N. headquarters.
The recent attacks on southern Lebanon, as well as the ongoing conflict in Gaza, will be key features of Netanyahu’s address.
Much like his most recent speech before U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu will also likely reiterate his denouncements of Iran, which provides military and financial backing to both Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Update 09/27/24 05:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.