Biden Bid to End Gaza War Falters as Israel and Hamas Push Back

Hamas has followed Israel in balking at President Joe Biden’s efforts to end their war in Gaza, with both sides saying their conflicting conditions for a permanent cease-fire must be met before they’ll even agree to pause fighting.

A Hamas spokesman said Tuesday that Israel must commit to a permanent cease-fire and full withdrawal from Gaza. “We are waiting a clear Israeli stance on this,” the spokesman, Osama Hamdan, said Tuesday in Beirut. 

That came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his position that the group’s political and military operations must be destroyed before the war is ended.

Top Biden administration officials have been calling on Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, to accept the proposal, which the president on Friday said had Israel’s backing.

That plan — a three-part roadmap to go from cease-fire to permanent deal — was almost immediately called into question by Israeli officials over the weekend. 

The main point of disconnect appears to be the future status of Hamas, which Israel wants gone before any longer-term plans can be made for Gaza, or for any broader approach to a future Palestinian state. 

The Israeli prime minister is under pressure from right-wing allies who have threatened to leave his ruling coalition if he agrees to end the war without dismantling Hamas. At the same time, more than 100,000 people demonstrated in Israel over the weekend, calling for an end to the war. 

Biden, speaking in a rare sit own interview with Time Magazine, said there was reason to conclude Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza due to his own political considerations.

Meanwhile, officials from Qatar, which is helping mediate the talks, said Israel has yet to provide a position on the plan that is accepted by its full coalition government. A Foreign Ministry spokesman released a statement Tuesday calling on countries to press both sides to accept Biden’s plan.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.