With negotiations scheduled to resume on Thursday, Biden told CBS during a wide-ranging interview that he believes it is “still possible” for the warring sides to reach a deal that will bring about the release of the 115 hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza, and an end to the fighting in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
“The plan I put together, endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the UN Security Council, et cetera, is still viable,” Biden said. “And I’m working literally every single day – and my whole team – to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.”
In tandem with the renewed push for a deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group, the United States has been attempting to deter Iran from striking Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, for which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Hoping to avoid an all-out regional war, US officials were said by Channel 12 to be pushing their Israeli counterparts to finalize the deal as soon as possible.
After the US, Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement on Friday that a deal needed to be concluded and implemented without further delay, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday night that Israel would send its negotiators to the August 15 talks “to finalize the details of the implementation of the agreement framework.” READ MORE
