White House officials express frustration with Netanyahu as Israel rejects 21-day ceasefire proposal coordinated with US and France

On Thursday, tensions escalated between the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel rejected a ceasefire plan that US and French officials believed had been mutually agreed upon. The proposal, announced by US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, called for a 21-day ceasefire to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in the north and pave the way for broader negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

White House officials were left surprised and frustrated by Israel’s sudden rejection of the plan, with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office issuing a strong denial that any agreement had been reached. “It was an American-French proposal that the prime minister didn’t even respond to,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. The unexpected move has led to rising diplomatic tensions between Israel and its key Western allies, as both the US and France believed that the ceasefire had been coordinated and greenlighted by Netanyahu prior to the announcement.

The plan for a ceasefire, intended to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, was announced while Netanyahu was en route to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. The ceasefire was also seen as a potential step toward facilitating an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where fighting between Israel and Hamas has continued since the October 7 massacre by Hamas that triggered Israel’s military response. It is not clear that Netanyahu was informed beforehand of the announcement of the ceasefire plea.

However, while still in the air, Netanyahu’s office issued a swift denial of any such agreement. The office dismissed reports suggesting Netanyahu had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to reduce airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, labeling the claims as “the opposite of the truth.” Instead, Netanyahu “instructed the IDF to continue fighting at full force, according to the plans that were presented to him.”

Upon landing in New York, Netanyahu addressed the press, reiterating Israel’s commitment to aggressive military operations against Hezbollah. “Israel’s policy is clear: We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we achieve all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes,” he declared.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu’s stance, stating firmly on social media platform X, “There will be no ceasefire in the north.”

White House officials, who believed the ceasefire had been coordinated in advance with Israel, were reportedly caught off guard by Netanyahu’s public rejection. In a briefing with reporters, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed the administration’s disappointment, saying, “We had every reason to believe that in the drafting of [the statement] and in the delivery of it, the Israelis were fully informed and fully aware of every word in it. We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t believe that it would be received with the seriousness with which it was composed.”

Kirby also stressed that Washington did not view “all-out war” as the best strategy for achieving the goal of returning northern residents to their homes, a key priority for Israel as Hezbollah rockets continue to rain down on Israeli towns. “We still believe an all-out war is not the best way to get people back in their homes,” Kirby added.

According to a senior Western diplomat quoted by The Times of Israel, both Israel and Lebanon had privately expressed their support for the ceasefire proposal before it was publicly announced. The diplomat further claimed that Netanyahu and his aides were closely involved in crafting and approving the joint US-French statement. The rejection of the plan, the source suggested, was a result of internal political pressure within Israel, which quickly escalated after reports of the potential ceasefire emerged.

Channel 12 reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer had reached agreements in principle with the US on the ceasefire plan, but Netanyahu reversed his position following widespread criticism from political opponents and local leaders. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, threatened to withdraw his party from Netanyahu’s coalition government if the ceasefire were enacted.

Amid the diplomatic fallout, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew reiterated Washington’s stance, calling for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further escalation. “Since Hezbollah began its rocket attacks on Israel on October 8, round after round of strikes and counterstrikes have driven people from their homes,” Lew wrote on X, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire to allow northern residents to return home safely.

Despite the ongoing ceasefire discussions, fighting in northern Israel has intensified. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah launched more than 175 rockets at northern Israel on Thursday alone, while Israeli airstrikes targeted some 220 Hezbollah sites across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley. Israeli officials said the strikes targeted rocket launchers, Hezbollah weapons depots, and senior Hezbollah operatives. Hezbollah, for its part, has vowed to continue its attacks in solidarity with Gaza.

As the military conflict rages on, diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire remain in limbo, with Netanyahu’s public backtracking creating new challenges for Israel’s relations with the Biden administration and its European allies.