The war in Gaza has tested and re-examined the close relationship between the US and Israel. In a long interview with Time, President Joe Biden comments on the many attempts to bring about a truce, and the role of the Israeli prime minister in it all.
Sources close to the president believe that it is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself who stands in the way of reaching an agreement. Joe Biden does not want to go that far, but when asked if Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political gain, the president admits that this seems to be the case.
- There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion, says Biden.
Netanyahu is said to be positive to parts of the cease-fire proposal put forward by the United States, but continues to believe that the only way the war can end is through the destruction of the terrorist group Hamas.
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Qatar: Israel needs to give a clear answer about the ceasefire
Israel needs to come up with a clear message regarding the ceasefire proposal that is on the table, presented by US President Joe Biden. This is according to Majed Al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to AFP.
The agreement presented late last week has been partially accepted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but no final answer has yet been forthcoming.
- We are waiting for a clear Israeli position that represents the entire government's response to the proposal, says Ansari.
Netanyahu is under enormous pressure to go ahead with the deal both internationally and domestically.
At the same time, he himself can sit loose if he accepts the conditions. His far-right coalition partners have threatened to leave the partnership if Israel agrees to Biden's proposal, which in turn would put the prime minister's future in the hands of the other partner parties.
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UN summit: Unprecedented bloodshed on the West Bank
Over 500 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas began eight months ago. It is an "unimaginable" number, says the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, in a statement.
Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October last year, the violence in the West Bank has escalated. Many of the dead are militiamen, but civilians have also been killed by the violence.
"As if the tragic events in Israel and Gaza in the last eight months were not enough, the people of the occupied West Bank are also subjected to unprecedented bloodshed, day after day," writes Volker Türk.
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