'Ceasefire ensures next Oct. 7': Israeli politicians, regional leaders slam US-French proposal

Israeli politicians and residents of northern Israel condemned the US-French ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah, scheduled to begin on Thursday around midday, Israeli media reported Thursday morning.

In an interview, Metula Regional Council chairman David Azulai emphasized that such a ceasefire would ensure “the next October 7,” for which the government would be responsible, he further stressed. In addition to Azulai, the Upper Galilee Regional Council’s chairman, Amir Sofer, said that while “there is a time for negotiations, this is not the time.”

Azulai explained that recent days have highlighted Hezbollah’s capabilities and that “this government of [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu” must “remove the threat” to avoid another “October 7 next year.” Azulai emphasized that such a situation “must not happen” and that the government “has all the support it needs” to fight Hezbollah and provide a more safe environment for northern Israel’s residents.

"They want to do exactly what Hamas did in the south on October 7,” continued Azulai. He then explains that agreeing with the terrorist organization in Lebanon “without decisively defeating them” will not provide a safe environment for the residents of the north to return to their homes. He added, “From what I read and hear, this is not what we hope for. Remember, we have been in this situation for a whole year. In the past week, the army has fought as it should, as we expect, to bring us back home. It seems we are again taking two steps back."

“This is a time for war!” stressed Sofer, emphasizing that “there is a time for everything under the heavens… we must not be misled by international pressure.” He then explained that the ceasefire would achieve two things only, “Delaying the return of northern residents to their homes and abandoning those who have not been evacuated.”

He then urged the prime minister to refuse the ceasefire proposal and “stand firm with the northern residents, who have shown remarkable resilience for almost a year.”

Speaking with Maariv, former Shin Ben senior official Yossi Amrosi expressed his opposition to the proposal, emphasizing that peace negotiations with the Lebanese terrorist organization should be “under gunfire.” Amrosi explained that a three-week-long pause in the fighting is, in my opinion, a very long pause and will allow Hezbollah to reorganize.”

He then emphasized that if Israel agrees to a ceasefire on its northern front, then “it must be as short as possible.” Amrosi argued that the IDF is ready for a ground operation in Lebanon and reiterated that the main objective of any operation against Hezbollah is the goal of returning the residents of the north safely to their homes.

Israeli politicians respond

Israeli Ministers and Members of Knesset (MKs) from both the coalition and opposition denounced reported cease fire talks between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday morning, and advocated instead to continue the offensive.

In response to the ceasefire deal reports on X/Twitter, Opposition Leader and Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid welcomed the ceasefire proposal, however, he also wrote that it should have been shorter.

מדינת ישראל צריכה להודיע הבוקר שהיא מקבלת את הצעת ביידן-מקרון להפסקת אש, אבל רק ל-7 ימים כדי לא לאפשר לחיזבאללה לשקם את מערכות הפיקוד והשליטה שלו. לא נקבל שום הצעה שאינה כוללת הרחקת חיזבאללה מגבולנו הצפוני.>

— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) September 26, 2024

“The State of Israel should announce this morning that it accepts the Biden-Macron proposal for a ceasefire, but only for seven days, to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its command and control systems,” Lapid wrote. He then stressed that Israel should not accept any proposal that does not see Hezbollah driven away from Israel’s northern border.

Chairman of the Democrats and former Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General (res.) Yair Golan advocated for a three-day ceasefire, not a three-week one. 

"It is not right to agree to a three-week ceasefire. It is right to agree to a three-day ceasefire during which progress should be made on three key parameters regarding the future security reality on the northern border: territory, the Lebanese government, and international guarantees," Golan stated.

Golan stated that Hezbollah should not have a presence south of the Litani River and that the Lebanese government must make a "commitment to restoring sovereignty and reducing Hezbollah's influence, including taking responsibility for preventing the entry of long-range missiles and drones into the area between the Litani and Awali rivers." He also said that UNIFIL must be strengthened and its mandate must be expanded "to ensure its forces have freedom of movement in all southern villages (south of the Litani)."

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv commented on the proposal saying, "For an entire year, a group of extremists in the government has failed to achieve a single diplomatic success for the security of Israeli citizens. Responsible leadership prevents extremist voices from dictating the tone and knows how to translate military achievements into a stable political and security reality."

He continued, "Accepting the American proposal for a temporary and short ceasefire is a necessary step to explore the possibility of reaching an agreement that will ensure the removal of Hezbollah forces from the border while isolating Hamas."

He called on those in the opposition to support the proposal. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced he would convene his far-right Otzma Yehudit party for an "urgent meeting" to discuss the developments. Ben-Gvir in the past has threatened to topple the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made concessions he opposed.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) wrote on X that the conflict in the North needed to end with "one scenario – crushing Hezbollah and removing its ability to harm the residents of the north." Smotrich wrote that Israel "cannot give the enemy time to recuperate" and reorganize.

המערכה בצפון צריכה להסתיים בתרחיש אחד - ריסוק חיזבאללה ושלילת יכולותיו לפגוע בתושבי הצפון.אסור לתת זמן לאוייב להתאושש מהמכות הקשות שחטף ולהתארגן מחדש להמשך המלחמה אחרי 21 יום.כניעה של חיזבאללה או מלחמה, רק ככה נחזיר את התושבים והביטחון לצפון ולמדינה.

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) September 26, 2024

Smotrich stressed that the only way to return the residents of the north is either “Hezbollah surrenders” or war.

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) wrote on X that Israel "cannot stop now," since the conflict in the North cannot be completed without a ground operation "to create a buffer zone and redeploy our forces in order to remove the threat of an invasion of the Galilee and a repetition of the evacuation of towns in a future conflict."

Another minister who expressed opposition to the talks was National Missions Minister Orit Strok (RZP).

Opposition MK Gideon Sa'ar, leader of the United Right party, wrote on X that Israel's "moderation of Air Force attacks in Lebanon in recent days and avoiding attacks to remove Hezbollah's capabilities in Beirut" were mistakes. According to Sa'ar, "continuous and methodological" military activity was "crucial" in order to "destroy Hezbollah's main capabilities and its ability to threaten the home front."

"Avoiding this enables Hezbollah to conduct actions that will increase the mission's burden later on," Sa'ar wrote. Two other MKs from his party, Ze'ev Elkin and Sharen Haskel, wrote similar opinions on X as well.

Likud member and Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar stated that "a ceasefire without any significant concessions from Hezbollah is a serious mistake that jeopardizes Israel's substantial security gains in recent days. I really hope the reports are not true; we must continue with full force until a clear resolution is achieved in the north.”

לא תהיה הפסקת אש בצפון. נמשיך להילחם נגד ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בכל העוצמה עד לניצחון והשבת תושבי הצפון בביטחון לבתיהם.

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 26, 2024

Foreign Minister Israel Katz also posted on X, opposing the ceasefire deal, stating, "We will continue fighting the terror organization Hezbollah with full strength until victory and returning the residents of the North safely to their homes."

Maariv contributed to this report.