Biden calls on Netanyahu to ‘finalize’ Gaza ceasefire deal

(Washington) US President Joe Biden on Thursday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “finalize” the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza, the White House said in a report of their meeting in Washington.

“President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the agreement as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and bring a lasting end to the war in Gaza,” the White House said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Thursday to discuss the war in Gaza — and the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement — with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris vowed not to remain “silent” in the face of civilian suffering.

Mr Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since 2020 comes at a time of growing pressure in Israel and the United States to find an end to the nine-month war that has killed more than 39,000 people in Gaza and some 1,200 in Israel. Dozens of Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

Mr. Biden reiterated during their meeting in the Oval Office his calls for Israel and Hamas to quickly agree to a cease-fire deal that would bring the remaining hostages home, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby. White House officials report that negotiations are in the final stages, but that some issues need to be resolved.

Mr Netanyahu, whose most recent stint in the White House was when former President Donald Trump was in office, will travel to Florida on Friday to meet with the Republican presidential candidate.

The relationship between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Biden has had its ups and downs over the years. Mr. Netanyahu, in what will likely be his last White House meeting with Mr. Biden, reflected on the nearly 40 years they have known each other and thanked the president for his service.

“As a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu told Biden at the start of their meeting.

After their talks, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu met with the families of the American hostages.

Signal of a change in policy

Kamala Harris signaled a possible major shift in U.S. policy toward Gaza on Thursday, vowing not to remain “silent” in the face of civilian suffering and stressing the need to reach a peace deal without delay.

Far from the habits of outgoing President Joe Biden, who favors behind-the-scenes pressure with Israel, the vice-president declared, after meeting Mr. Netanyahu, that it was time to put an end to the “devastating” war.

“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” she said, referring to “dead children” and “desperate and hungry people fleeing for safety.”

“We cannot turn away from these tragedies. We cannot afford to become numb to the suffering and I will not remain silent,” she added to the press.

The 59-year-old former senator, who is running for the House after Joe Biden withdrew last weekend, said she had stressed the dire situation to Mr Netanyahu during the “frank” meeting.

She called on him to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas to end the war triggered by the Palestinian movement’s attack on Israel on October 7.

“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to conclude this agreement,” she said.

M^me Harris also called for the creation of a Palestinian state, which the Israeli prime minister opposes.

A speech that contrasts with the image of great cordiality displayed by Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, even if the two men have notoriously complicated relations.

Pressures and demonstrations

Mr Netanyahu is going through his own delicate political period. He faces pressure from hostage families demanding a cease-fire deal to bring their loved ones home and from far-right members of his governing coalition demanding that he oppose any deal that could prevent Israeli forces from eliminating Hamas.

Mr. Netanyahu, in a fiery speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, offered a vigorous defense of Israel’s conduct during the war and lambasted accusations of Israeli war crimes by the International Criminal Court. He argued that Israel, in its fight against Iran-backed Hamas, was effectively “keeping the Americans in the background while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East.”

The Israeli prime minister used his speech to praise Biden for his administration’s support in the aftermath of the October 7 attack, but he also highlighted steps taken by Donald Trump during his four years in office that benefited Israel, including recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, combating Iranian aggression and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Protesters gathered near the White House on Thursday chanted “Arrest Netanyahu” and held up an effigy of the prime minister with blood on his hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. A small number of counter-protesters carried Israeli flags around their shoulders.

M^me Harris was outraged Thursday that some protesters wrote pro-Hamas graffiti in areas near the U.S. Capitol, expressed support for the terrorist group’s fighters and burned an American flag at Union Station.

“Pro-Hamas graffiti and speeches are abhorrent and we must not tolerate them in our country,” denounced Mr.^me Harris in a statement. I condemn the burning of the American flag. This flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in this way.”

With Agence France-Presse