Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 07:25 pm
Washington: US President Joe Biden has called upon all parties in the Middle East not to take any action that might undermine efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and free hostages. Speaking on Friday, Biden sounded an extremely cautious note of optimism: a deal was “in sight” but the situation was precarious.
Optimism by Biden and Challenges
“No one in the region should take actions to undermine this process,” Biden said on social media. Speaking with reporters later, he voiced his optimism, but also how fraught with complication the situation remains: “As of an hour ago, it’s still in play. I’m optimistic. It’s far from over,” he said. “There’s a couple more issues. I think we’ve got a shot,” he said, without elaborating.
To the question of when a ceasefire might occur, Biden clarified, “That’s still to be determined.”
Positions of Israel and Hamas
The way ahead is still controversial, as the State of Israel repeated that any durable peace would come only with the dissolution of the Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas. On the other hand, from Hamas, it was known that they would only seek a permanent ceasefire, leaving out any temporary agreements.
Ceasefire talks, underway in Doha, were adjourned until next week on Friday. In a joint statement, the US, Qatar, and Egypt said that Washington had put forward a new proposal in an effort to get round the standoff. The US, Israel’s closest ally, sees a truce as essential to prevent wider conflagration.
History and the Present
Biden presented a three-phase cease-fire first in a speech on May 31, but the mediation process has been riddled with setbacks.
The most recent round of violence in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage, according to Israeli officials. In retaliation, Israel launched a full-fledged operation in Gaza that has so far killed over 40,000 Palestinians since the start of the conflict, according to local health authorities. The attack has compelled nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip-2.3 million-to seek refuge, with disastrous food shortages and accusations of genocide, which Israel has denied.