WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said today that US President Joseph Biden's message at today's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House is that it is time to reach an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.
"We've been working on this for some time. It's been a tough negotiation. We've made progress. We have a framework for an agreement in place. Now we need to bridge the final differences and have an agreement so we can move forward," Miller said at a press briefing. , Israeli media reported.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added that President Biden conveyed to Netanyahu in the Oval Office a message that he "felt deeply and strongly" that there must be an agreement on the hostages and a ceasefire, at least on the first phase for the first six weeks. repeated that there is a gap, but that it can be bridged if there is a will to compromise and effort.
"Today is the 293rd day that Hamas has held hostages," Kirby said, adding that the tension between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah and the attempt to prevent an all-out war were also discussed.
Kirby also said that Biden also emphasized "the critical need for stability in the West Bank."
"We still see violence in the West Bank," the spokesman said, adding that Biden found it unacceptable, apparently referring to Jewish settler violence.
In addition, he explained that the American commitment to the stability of the United States is firm, as well as to help in the fight against threats from Iran and its allies.
Netanyahu came to the White House today to meet with Biden in an attempt to make progress on the Gaza talks, a day after a speech to the US Congress that was the focus of his visit to Washington.
Biden recently announced he was dropping out of the race for a second term and is expected to try to put more pressure on Netanyahu in hopes of reaching a ceasefire deal in the devastating war in Gaza sparked by Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.
It remains to be seen whether Netanyahu, whose relations with the American president are complicated, will agree to it, especially in a situation where Biden is leaving the White House in a few months, according to France Press.
"I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and support for the State of Israel and I look forward to speaking with you today and working with you in the coming months," Netanyahu said upon his arrival at the White House.
The US president has shown strong support for Israel since the start of the country's war against the Palestinian Hamas, but has been increasingly critical as the number of civilian casualties in Gaza has risen.
This is Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since 2020, when US President Donald Trump was president, and comes amid intense pressure to end the nine-month war that has killed more than 39,000 people in Gaza and held dozens of Israeli hostages. in the captivity of Hamas.
