Biden accuses Netanyahu of not doing enough to liberate hostages in Gaza.
Joe Biden has stated that Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing sufficient to guarantee a hostage agreement and a cease-fire with Hamas, despite claims that a new plan will be handed to the Israeli prime minister as "final".
As demonstrations erupted in Israel on Monday over this past weekend killings of six captives in Gaza, the US president and his vice president, Kamala Harris, met with negotiators in the Situation Room to work out a solution. When asked if Mr Netanyahu was doing enough, Mr Biden said "no". He also stated that the United States would not give up and would "push as hard as we can" to reach an agreement. According to the Washington Post, US officials consider this latest offering to be a "take it or leave it" arrangement.
It follows after Israel retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza on Saturday. Their killings have sparked significant protests in Israel by individuals who are skeptical of Mr Netanyahu's handling of the conflict and hostage situation. On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the relatives of the surviving captives in the United States. According to Axios, he relayed information that Mr Biden would propose a "final" hostage release and peace proposal later this week. The family of Edan Alexander, an Israeli military man who is currently being held hostage in Gaza, has urged Israel to embrace the offer, stating that it is "now or never".
His father, Adi Alexander, hailed the US for its "passion and devotion" to securing a resolution, stating that Sunday was his 15th meeting with Mr Sullivan after his son's abduction on October 7. However, in a conversation with media US partner CBS News on Monday, he urged US officials to "do something unique, because the outcome is the same after 11 months". Mr Alexander accused Mr Netanyahu of "extending the war for short-term political gain". "Time passes, and we continue to remove bodies from Gaza. "This is inappropriate," he stated.
According to the Washington Post, the killing of the six hostages intensified Mr Biden's advisors' desperation to negotiate a deal. "You cannot continue negotiating this. "This method must be called at some point," a top source told the publication. "Will it undermine the deal? No. If anything, it should increase the urgency of our current closing phase," they continued. For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have tried to reach an agreement which includes a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Hamas' outstanding prisoners.
The administration of Vice President Joe Biden has criticized Hamas for failing to reach an agreement, but US diplomatic diplomats additionally accuse Mr Netanyahu of making demands that have stymied discussions. On October 7, Hamas invaded the Gaza border, killing 1,200 Israelis and abducting 251 more. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, Israel has killed approximately 40,000 Palestinians in retaliation. The US response to the war has consequences for both the Biden government and Ms Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee in November. Pro-Palestinian elements within the coalition have called for a ceasefire.
Ms Harris' opponent, Republican contender Donald Trump, is blaming the hostage deaths on Ms Harris and Mr Biden's failure to reach an agreement last Saturday.
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