President Biden says talks between Hamas and Israel are on ‘the verge’ of reaching breakthrough that could lead to deal.
By World Israel News Staff
President Joe Biden expressed optimism Monday evening regarding the prospects of reaching a hostage deal that would secure the release of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, and reiterated his determination to see the issue resolved before leaving office next January.
In his first public comments on the subject since he dropped out of the presidential election this Sunday, Biden said in a call to his campaign headquarters that Israel and Hamas are seemingly “on the verge” of reaching a hostage deal.
“I’ll be working very closely with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out how we can get the Gaza war to end, and Middle East peace, and get all those hostages home,” Biden said. “I think we’re on the verge of being able to do that.”
The president was initially slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday, ahead of Netanyahu’s planned address before a special joint session of Congress.
Following his diagnosis with COVID, however, Biden cancelled the meeting.
Biden has reportedly rescheduled the meeting with the Israeli premier to Thursday.
Speaking after arriving in Washington Monday evening, Netanyahu told relatives of Israeli captives still held in Gaza that conditions are “ripening” for a hostage deal.
The conditions for returning them are becoming ripe, for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas. We see a certain change, and I think that this change will increase. We intend to do this – this is an objective of the war,” Netanyahu said.
“I am doing everything in my power to combine the necessary humanitarian objective and the imperative to return the hostages, and at the same time, preserve the existence of the State of Israel.”
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