President Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday morning to discuss progress on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu and I spoke earlier today about our continuing efforts to finalize an agreement that leads to a ceasefire and the release of hostages — an agreement that I outlined and that has been endorsed by the UN Security Council, the G7 and other countries around the world,” Biden said. I wrote to X.
Biden in late May unveiled a three-part proposal to end the fighting and return Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, kidnapping around 250 hostages and killing around 1,200.
Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territory to flush out Hamas and rescue hostages have left more than 35,000 Palestinians, including women and children, killing them, sparking international outrage and protests on U.S. college campuses.
The Biden administration has supported its allies and sent billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, and while some Democrats have called on Biden to take a tougher stance against Netanyahu over Israel’s actions in the war, lawmakers overwhelmingly support Israel’s war.
The UN Security Council last month approved a US-sponsored resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, noting that Israel had “accepted” the framework outlined by President Biden in May and urging Hamas to also accept the agreement.
The call comes just under three weeks before Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to address parliament on July 24.
“Over the past nine months, Israel has been deeply grateful for America’s vital support, in good times and bad,” Netanyahu said. I wrote to X.
