[ad_1]
President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages, the White House announced.
The call came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a visit to the Middle East on Tuesday that ended without a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas militants.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar are pinning their hopes on a U.S. proposal aimed at narrowing the gap between the two sides in Gaza’s 10-month war.
“President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, as well as diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the region,” The White House statement said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the nomination for the US presidential candidate in the November 5 election at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, was also present on the call with the Israeli leader. No other details about the call have been released so far.
President Biden, who is vacationing with his family at his 3,500-acre ranch in California, is expected to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to soften new Israeli demands for a troop presence in the land corridor between Egypt and Gaza, according to comments by a U.S. official ahead of the call.
Achieving a ceasefire in Gaza is a top priority for President Biden, and a senior U.S. official said on Friday that talks were close to a deal, but that was highly unlikely.
Hamas demands Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, including the 14.5-kilometer Philadelphia corridor between Egypt and Gaza.
Israel plans to retain control of the corridor it occupies after destroying dozens of tunnels beneath it in late May that it says are being used to supply weapons to militant groups in Gaza. /voa
[ad_2]
Source link
