Biden in talks with Israel’s Netanyahu presses for Gaza ceasefire
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with US President Joe Biden at the White House, on July 25.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden pressed for a ceasefire to the nine-month-old war in Gaza in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 25, with Vice-President Kamala Harris due to meet the Israeli leader later in the day.
They were the first face-to-face talks for the two men since Mr Biden travelled to Israel
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said gaps remain between Israel and the Hamas militants who run the Palestinian enclave in the drive for a ceasefire but “we are closer now than we’ve been before.”
“Both sides have to make compromises,” Mr Kirby said.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said: “I think the message from the American side in that meeting will be that we need to get this deal over the line.”
The visit coincides with a shift in American politics. On July 21, Mr Biden, 81, stepped aside from the US presidential race
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Mr Biden said when he welcomed Mr Netanyahu to the Oval Office.
“I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Mr Netanyahu told Mr Biden.
In the late afternoon, Ms Harris will meet the Israeli leader in her ceremonial office at the White House.
The meeting will be closely watched for signs of how Harris, who was the first top US official to call for a ceasefire, could shift American policy towards Israel if she becomes president.
Ms Harris was expected to closely track the administration line in the meeting, a US official said, focusing on the plight of Palestinians while also supporting Israel’s right to self-defence.
Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu later were due to meet together with the families of American hostages held by Hamas.
Relations between the two leaders have been strained for months over Israel’s Gaza offensive in which more than 39,000 people have been killed, say health officials in Gaza.
The US is a major arms supplier to Israel and has protected the country from critical United Nations votes.
Mr Netanyahu’s visit, his first to Israel’s most important international ally since his late 2022 return to power for a record sixth term as prime minister, comes on the heels of Mr Biden’s dramatic decision not to seek reelection.
Whether Mr Biden, who is now a “lame duck” president, a term used for officials who won’t serve another term, or Ms Harris, who is tied in many election polls with Republican rival Donald Trump, can have any influence on Mr Netanyahu remains to be seen.
On July 26, Mr Netanyahu travels to Florida to meet Trump.
Both Mr Biden and Ms Harris are eager for a ceasefire. Ms Harris has been aligned with Mr Biden on Israel but has struck a tougher tone.
The conflict began on Oct 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel
Hamas-led fighters took 250 captives on Oct 7, according to Israeli tallies. Some 120 hostages are still being held though Israel believes one in three are dead.
The White House is ringed with extra security fencing to protect against protesters on July 25.
Closing stages
Negotiations on a long-sought ceasefire-for-hostages deal in the Gaza conflict appear to be in their closing stages, a senior US official said on July 24.
The official, briefing reporters ahead of the talks, said the remaining obstacles are bridgeable and there will be more meetings aimed at reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over the next week.
US officials have made similar pledges before about a ceasefire which evaporated under last-minute differences.
On July 24, Mr Netanyahu gave a defiant speech to the US Congress
The Gaza conflict has splintered the Democratic Party, and sparked months of protests at Biden events.
A drop in support among Arab-Americans could hurt Democratic chances in Michigan, one of a handful of states likely to decide the Nov 5 election.
Mr Biden’s desire for unity in the party in the drive to defeat Trump was cited on the night of July 24 in an Oval Office address as a main reason why he decided not to seek reelection but to instead support Ms Harris for the 2024 race. REUTERS
