Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday expressed concern that Israel was being “forced” into a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“I hope they weren’t forced into a deal before they did what they had to do. [which was the] Destroy Hamas so that it cannot rise again and threaten them again. [in a] A few years,” Johnson told NewsNation’s Blake Berman on “The Hill.”
The ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday is scheduled to begin on Sunday, with the first phase including a six-week cease-fire and the release of 33 hostages, out of 94 estimated alive and dead, held by Hamas for more than a year. .
President Biden welcomed the deal Wednesday, saying, “This deal was not easy to come to.”
“I've been working on foreign policy for decades, and this was one of the toughest negotiations I've ever been through. We got to this point because Israel, with the help of the United States, “This is because they put pressure on Hamas in response to this.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview earlier this week that the United States is “very close to a cease-fire and a hostage agreement” in the Gaza Strip.
“Number one, we're very close to a cease-fire and hostage agreement, and I think it's very likely that we'll cross the line and reach an agreement this week before President Biden leaves office,” Sullivan said Monday. said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an appearance on NewsNation on Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement was “good news.”
“It's good to see the violence stop,” he added. “We hope it continues, but we [need to] Watch as all the hostages are released. we [need to] See all the hostages removed. ”
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