Joe Biden pushes for six-week pause in Gaza fighting

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said he's pushing for a six-week pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages, saying that could lay the groundwork for broader peace.

Such a pause "would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring," Biden said Monday following a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House.
Biden's comments were his most detailed yet about the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which the US is helping to facilitate along with the likes of Egypt and Qatar. "The key elements of the deals are on the table," Biden said, adding that the US "will do everything possible to make it happen."

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu last week downplayed the chances of a ceasefire. Hamas's demands - which include a condition that Israeli forces pull out of Gaza within about 90 days - are "delusional," he said.

Biden and Abdullah met as concerns grow about a potential Israeli ground offensive in the city of Rafah that threatens to further inflame regional tensions and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Biden said he and the king - a key US ally in the Middle East - had discussed Rafah and how to bring more aid into Gaza.

"We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe," the king said. "We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end."

The US, its Arab partners and other nations must step up efforts to reach a ceasefire immediately and "create a political horizon that leads to a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution," Abdullah added, referring to his hopes for an independent Palestinian state.


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