President Joe Biden has stated that we are “on the brink” of seeing the hostage deal he proposed in May “finally coming to fruition.”
“I have learned from my many years of public service to never, never, never, ever give up,” Biden said during his final foreign policy address at the State Department.
He shared that he had spoken with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu the day before, and with the emir of Qatar on that day, adding that a call with Egypt’s president is imminent. These high-level conversations typically signal that negotiations are entering their final stages.
“The deal we have structured would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden explained.
Although Biden’s use of the word “halt” stands out, recent official briefings have described the agreement as one that would result in a “ceasefire.” Biden’s choice of words could suggest a slight variation in emphasis.
He emphasized the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza: “They have been through hell — so many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed.”
“The Palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own futures. Israel deserves peace and real security, and the hostages and their families deserve to be reunited. So we’re working urgently to close this deal,” Biden affirmed.
{Matzav.com Israel}