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The report said Netanyahu made “several concessions” during the talks, including showing a map detailing the IDF’s deployment along the Philadelphia corridor, which U.S. officials praised.
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
（Photo: AFP/HO/KHAMENEI.IR/EPA）
The United States believes Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah may abandon plans to fire rockets into central Israel, which could lead to a serious escalation, the report said. But they noted that Nasrallah has vowed to avenge the assassination of Hezbollah’s military chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, and that he has many Israeli targets to choose from.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden
（Photo: EPA/SAMUEL CORUM / POOL）
The White House released a transcript of Wednesday’s phone conversation after Netanyahu and Biden spoke, according to which the two leaders “discussed the United States’ aggressive and ongoing efforts to support Israel’s defense against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, including a continued U.S. defensive military presence.”
The White House said Biden “stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.”
According to observers, the purpose of the call was to convince Netanyahu to soften his stance on deploying troops in the Philadelphia Corridor. Biden is trying to convince the prime minister to be flexible on the Philadelphia Corridor’s demands, while Netanyahu insists on maintaining the IDF presence there; the United States demands a significant reduction of troops in the first phase of the agreement and a complete withdrawal in the second phase.
To support those efforts, Biden sent his Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, to Cairo in hopes of laying the groundwork for a summit and resolving the contentious Philadelphia issue.
Hamas is not cooperating with either the Americans or the mediators, The Washington Post reported. This could be part of the so-called “waiting game.” After representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad met in Doha on Wednesday, the two terrorist organizations issued a joint statement accusing Israel of “causing the efforts of the mediators to fail.”
“The insistence of the occupation leaders on continuing their aggression and their denial of previous agreements, especially the movement’s proposal of July 2, has led to the failure of mediation efforts,” the statement said.
If the Cairo summit does take place, it will probably be on Friday or Saturday, but will not start on Thursday. People familiar with the matter said the chances of a deal being reached are slim at this point, even if the summit takes place.
Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, was sent to Cairo to prepare for the summit and try to resolve the Philadelphia corridor issue.
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