United States President Joe Biden has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing talks for a ceasefire in Gaza strip and stressed the “immediate need” for a ceasefire, as well as the return of Israeli captives held in the Palestinian enclave, reports Al Jazeera.
The call on Sunday came as Biden pushes for a deal to stop the fighting before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
The negotiations, mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement.
The latest round is taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, with the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, as well as Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, both attending the talks.
Barnea’s presence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in the talks.
McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s “State of the Union”. But he said he would not predict whether a deal can be reached by January 20, the day of the inauguration.
“We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.”
The White House said the ongoing talks in Doha are for a deal based on the phased ceasefire that Biden had announced in May of last year, which was later endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council.
Biden “stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal”, the White House said.
For his part, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his lifelong support of Israel, according to the White House readout. The Israeli prime minister has previously signalled that he is committed only to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which envisions the release of some captives in exchange for a weeks-long halt in fighting.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
