A ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas “is not peace,” maintains the president of the United States, Joe Biden, in an article published this Saturday in Washington Post,in which he defends a two-state solutionin which the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would be governed by “a revitalized Palestinian Authority.”
“As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank must be reunified under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution. I have insisted to Israeli leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those who commit it must be held accountable. The United States is willing to take its own measures, including banning visas for extremists who attack civilians in the West Bank,” the president writes in the American capital newspaper.
“The path to peace must lead to a solution based on two States, that is, two peoples living side by side with the same freedoms, opportunities and dignity. Achieving it will require the commitment of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the United States and our allies and partners. That work must begin now,” says Biden. “The two-state solution is the only way to guarantee the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Although right now it may seem like that future has never been further away, this crisis has made it more imperative than ever,” she stresses.
The president of the United States reiterates his position in recent weeks that he does not see a temporary suspension of combat as a real possibility. “As long as Hamas clings to his ideology of destruction, a ceasefire is not peace. For Hamas members, each ceasefire is time they take advantage of to rebuild their rocket arsenal, reposition fighters and restart the slaughter by attacking innocents again. An outcome that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza would once again perpetuate their hatred and deny Palestinian civilians the opportunity to build something better for themselves,” Biden writes in his article, titled The United States will not back down from the challenge of Putin and Hamas.
The United States is providing arms and intelligence support to Israel as it mounts an offensive in Gaza aimed at eradicating Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack, which killed more than 1,200 people. Biden has spoken several times with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says he is working for the release of hostages held by Hamas, including some Americans. At least 12,000 Palestinians have died since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilian and militant deaths.
Protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have staged protests across the country, including clashes this week with police outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Former staffers of Biden’s 2020 campaign have signed letters calling for a ceasefire.
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Biden also addresses domestic outbreaks of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in his article. “Here at home, at a time when fear and suspicion, anger and rage run strong, we have to work even harder to hold on to the values that make us who we are. We are a nation of religious freedom and freedom of expression. “We all have the right to debate and disagree and to protest peacefully, but without fear of being attacked in schools or workplaces or anywhere else in our communities,” Biden writes.
“In recent years, too much oxygen has been given to hate, fueling racism and an alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the United States. This has intensified after the attacks of October 7. Jewish families fear being targeted at school, when they wear symbols of their faith on the street or in their daily lives. At the same time, too many Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, and Palestinian Americans, and so many other communities, are outraged and hurt, fearing the resurgence of Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11,” he adds. “We cannot stand idly by when hate rears its head. We must unequivocally denounce anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred and prejudice. We must renounce violence and vitriol and see each other not as enemies, but as compatriots,” he concludes.
Hostage negotiations
A report published by the same newspaper indicates that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching an agreement with the mediation of the United States to release dozens of women and children hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in the fighting, according to what they claim. people familiar with the new conditions. The liberation, which could begin in the coming days, barring last-minute setbacks, could mark the first sustained pause in the conflict in Gaza, says the Washington Post.
The newspaper initially published that an agreement in principle had already been reached, but later corrected the information after it was denied by various sources.“We have not reached an agreement yet, but we continue to work hard to reach an agreement,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on X.
The first information about negotiations for an imminent agreement to release hostages emerged a few days ago. The New York Times published a report on the matter on Wednesday citing Israeli government sources, and CBS said on Thursday that Israel was studying a proposal according to which Hamas would release some of the hostages the group is holding in Gaza in exchange for a three-year ceasefire. five days into the war. Aid would also be allowed into the Strip during the cessation of hostilities. Under the proposed deal, Hamas would release an unspecified number of women and children.
So far, only four of the hostages, two Americans and two Israelis, have been released by Hamas. During those releases, short, targeted pauses in fighting helped ensure the safe transfer of hostages back to Israel. One of the sources told CBS News that an unknown number of Palestinian women and children currently held in Israeli prisons could also be released as part of the proposal.
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