President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday to debate the prospects of a potential cease-fire deal to safe the discharge of hostages held by Hamas, whereas repeating his warnings a couple of new Israeli assault on the town of Rafah in southern Gaza, officers mentioned.
The name was meant to pave the best way for Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who left Washington only a few hours earlier on Sunday for his newest journey to the Middle East aimed toward scaling again the struggle in Gaza. Mr. Blinken headed to Saudi Arabia, the place he’ll see Egyptian and Qatari officers who’ve served as intermediaries with Hamas within the cease-fire and hostage talks, which stay in a stalemate.
The State Department introduced whereas Mr. Blinken was in flight on Sunday that after attending a gathering of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, he would additionally cease in Jordan and Israel. The secretary has been a vital participant within the Biden administration’s efforts to dealer a cessation to the struggle, enhance humanitarian assist and win the discharge of greater than 100 hostages believed to nonetheless be in Gaza because the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist assault.
“That’s going to be right at the top of the list for Secretary Blinken, to keep pushing for this temporary cease-fire,” John F. Kirby, a nationwide safety spokesman for the White House, mentioned on “This Week” on ABC. “We want it to last for about six weeks. It will allow for all those hostages to get out and, of course, to allow for easier aid access to places in Gaza, particularly up in the north.”
He has additionally been main discussions about what comes after the struggle is over. During his cease in Saudi Arabia, in response to a State Department official who spoke on the situation of anonymity, Mr. Blinken expects to satisfy with Arab and European officers in a gaggle to speak about plans for rebuilding Gaza, though Israel continues to be finishing up its struggle there and has not achieved its elusive — and maybe inconceivable — aim of absolutely eradicating Hamas.
An administration official mentioned that about three-quarters of Mr. Biden’s practically hourlong name to Mr. Netanyahu targeted on the potential cease-fire and hostages deal. American officers have mentioned that Israel has accepted the U.S.-drafted plan, they usually have positioned blame for the failure to succeed in an settlement squarely on Hamas, which of their description has not been constructive. During the decision, the president agreed that the onus remained on Hamas to simply accept the most recent proposal, the official mentioned.
The two leaders additionally mentioned hostage movies launched by Hamas final week, together with these displaying two hostages with American citizenship. American officers have been puzzling over why Hamas would launch these movies greater than six months after seizing the hostages, though it’s potential the aim was to extend Israeli public strain on Mr. Netanyahu to make extra concessions to succeed in a deal in order that he may deliver hostages residence.
The president’s name to Mr. Netanyahu got here three weeks after Mr. Biden advised the prime minister that he would rethink his help for Israel’s struggle until the nation did extra to facilitate the supply of meals and different provides to Gaza and to restrict civilian casualties. Since then, humanitarian assist to Gaza has elevated considerably, and Biden advisers credit score Israel with responding to the president’s calls for, though they acknowledge that extra continues to be wanted.
Israel has withdrawn a few of its forces from southern Gaza however says it’s nonetheless planning a significant assault on Rafah, the place about a million Palestinians have taken refuge. Biden administration officers have expressed considerations in regards to the potential operation, and Israeli officers have mentioned they’ll take that suggestions into consideration and seek the advice of additional with American counterparts
In an announcement after the decision, the White House mentioned that Mr. Biden “reiterated his clear position” on any Rafah operation and reviewed with the prime minister the “ongoing talks to secure the release of hostages together with an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.”
“The president and the prime minister also discussed increases in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through preparations to open new northern crossings starting this week,” the assertion mentioned. “The president stressed the need for this progress to be sustained and enhanced in full coordination with humanitarian organizations.”
With protests rocking American faculty campuses, some critics of the Netanyahu authorities emphasised on Sunday that the adjustments it has made since Mr. Biden’s menace had not gone practically far sufficient.
“Right now, what Netanyahu’s right-wing, extremist and racist government is doing is unprecedented in the modern history of warfare,” Senator Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, mentioned on “State of the Union” on CNN. “They have killed in the last six and a half months 33,000 Palestinians, wounded 77,000, two-thirds of whom are women and children.”
The White House assertion made simply passing reference to the latest conflict between Israel and Iran, saying solely that Mr. Biden “reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security following the successful defense against Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month.”
Israeli and U.S. forces, with the assistance of European and Arab allies, shot down practically all of greater than 300 missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel earlier this month in retaliation for Israel’s killing of senior Iranian officers. Israel, heeding pleas by Mr. Biden for restraint, fired again solely a token counterattack, and either side have indicated they need to keep away from additional escalation.
With the rapid menace of a wider struggle seemingly fading, Mr. Biden and his workforce may shift their consideration again to Gaza. Under the U.S.-sponsored cease-fire proposal, Israel would halt hostilities for six weeks and launch a whole bunch of Palestinians held in its prisons in alternate for the discharge of 40 hostages held by Hamas, primarily ladies, older males and people with well being situations. Later phases of the deal would then prolong the cease-fire and lead to extra hostages being freed.
American officers have mentioned that an settlement has been blocked by Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief dwelling in hiding in Gaza. Israel put a brand new counterproposal on the desk on Friday, elevating the prospect of a extra sustained finish to hostilities. Hamas, which has demanded a everlasting finish to the struggle as a part of any deal, mentioned on Saturday that it had acquired the proposal and was contemplating it.
Mr. Kirby expressed cautious optimism that progress was nonetheless potential.
“Hamas has not fully rejected it. They are considering this proposal on the table,” he mentioned. “If we can get that in place, then that gives you six weeks of peace. It gives you no fighting for six weeks, and that includes no fighting in Rafah, and what we’re hoping is that after six weeks of a temporary cease-fire, we can maybe get something more enduring in place.”
Edward Wong contributed reporting from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s airplane.