Thread by @mehdirhasan

You really wanna do this? I accept many pro-Israel people have said 'if Hamas releases the hostages *and* surrenders' but plenty of people have ALSO only claimed 'if Hamas releases the hostages' then the war could be over.
*You* are lying if you say otherwise.
Thread/Receipts:
1/

Let's start with the president of the United States, who said "the release of hostages held by Hamas" is "now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire"
2/

Then there's AIPAC, which quote-tweeted and echoed Biden's words, with no 'surrender' caveat.
3/

How about the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, a literal official representative of the Israeli government?

"The war could end if Hamas released our hostages."

Pretty clear, no?
4/

Then there is the Jerusalem Post, a major Israeli newspaper, in its editorial on the Oscars.

The war "can end if Hamas frees the hostages," it said, lambasting Jonathan Glazer for not calling for that "at the Oscars."
5/

How about Congressman Brad Schneider, Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee?

"A ceasefire could happen tomorrow if Hamas releases the hostages."

6/

How about Congressman Mike Lawler, Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee?

"There can be a ceasefire in Gaza tomorrow if Hamas releases all remaining hostages it's still holding."

7/

Here's rightwing pundit Douglas Murray, who just won an award from the president of Israel.

"The war could be tomorrow, of course, if Hamas gave back the hostages, something that I hear from no protester on the streets."

8/

Here's Canadian columnist Michael Higgins, in the conservative National Post:

"All the suffering, all the deaths... would quickly stop if Hamas released the hostages."

9/

And just for fun, and to conclude, here's Ana Navarro, former Republican strategist and pro-Israel voice on the popular daytime TV show The View:

"It could end today if Hamas released the hostages."

10/

So it's clear from these *ten* tweets, citing everyone from the U.S. president to an Israeli ambassador to the Jerusalem Post, that @AGHamilton29 is the one lying - sorry, but there were/are a lot of people claiming 'the war could be over tomorrow if Hamas released the hostages'.

@AGHamilton29 And now Hamas is saying they're open to releasing the hostages but Netanyahu is saying he plans on invading Rafah & carrying on with his awful war, regardless of any deal to release the hostages, so that sound you're hearing is the sound of goalposts shifting.

*end of thread*