MOSCOW, July 25 US President Joe Biden will increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend talks on Thursday to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement, Politico reports, citing sources.
Netanyahu is on a visit to Washington; on Wednesday he spoke at the US Congress, which caused protests by anti-war activists at the Capitol. He will meet with Biden on Thursday, separately with US Vice President Kamala Harris, and with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday.
“Freed from the political shackles of running for re-election, Biden will seek a tougher tone in negotiations with Netanyahu, with whom he has often clashed, to reach an agreement with Hamas,” Politico writes, citing presidential administration sources.
The publication emphasizes that Biden also needs to conclude a deal in order to leave behind a political legacy. At the same time, according to the source, the deal is “in its final stages,” but a number of serious obstacles to its conclusion are still present.
Biden is reportedly pushing for more than just a ceasefire agreement. The US President also plans to discuss the large-scale bombing carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, and the Netanyahu government's response to attacks by the Shiite Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) ruling in northern Yemen.
Serious dissatisfaction in the White House, according to sources, was caused by Netanyahu's plans to negotiate with Trump.
In July, Israel and Hamas, through mediators, resumed negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages. The negotiation process has been at a standstill for more than a month since US President Joe Biden, on behalf of Israel, announced a new plan to resolve the conflict in the Palestinian enclave. There have been several meetings in Doha and Cairo over the past two weeks involving delegations from Israel and mediating countries, but no concrete progress has been announced. The American publication Politico reported that the Israeli delegation did not come to the last round of negotiations.
The Israeli government continues to insist that only military pressure can force Hamas to agree to more favorable terms of the deal and release the maximum number of hostages in the first stage.
According to Israeli official data, 120 hostages are still being held in the Palestinian enclave, of which more than 40 are considered dead. During various operations and humanitarian efforts, 135 people were freed from Hamas captivity, this figure includes the dead hostages whose bodies were removed from the enclave.