Biden tries to bring Gaza talks 'to the finish line' before White House changes hands

US President Joe Biden on January 12 spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, as the US leader will leave office in a week.

According to a White House statement, President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed ongoing negotiations in Qatar regarding efforts to promote a ceasefire and release hostages. Mr. Biden emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Mr. Netanyahu updated Mr. Biden on the progress of negotiations and the task that the Israeli prime minister assigned to the Israeli delegation when they arrived in Doha (Qatar) to reach a consensus on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza.

Ceasefire near, Israel continues to attack Gaza

Among the members of the Israeli delegation are Mossad Director David Barnea, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, Israeli Army Hostage Affairs Officer Nitzan Alon and Netanyahu's political adviser Ophir Falk. According to The Times of Israel, the dispatch of these high-ranking figures is a sign that the negotiations are in a very serious stage.

US President Joe Biden (right) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in July 2024

The Biden administration is said to be working in the final days of its term to get Israel and Hamas to sign a ceasefire agreement, which has gone through many discussions but failed. Before the phone call between the two US and Israeli leaders, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an interview with CNN on January 12 that the parties were "very close" to an agreement, but still needed to bring it to the finish line.

“We remain determined to use every day we are in office to accomplish this goal, and we will not set it aside,” Mr. Sullivan said.

In addition to the Gaza issue, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu discussed fundamental changes in the Middle East landscape following the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, the collapse of the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran's influence in the region.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-biden-no-luc-dua-dam-phan-gaza-ve-dich-truoc-khi-nha-trang-doi-chu-18525011306590981.htm