CNN
—
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden about progress in negotiations towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement.
“The prime minister discussed progress in hostage release negotiations with the U.S. president and updated him on the mission he has given the negotiators to Doha to advance hostage release,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. Sunday phone call.
It added: “The Prime Minister wished to thank President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump of the United States for their cooperation in this sacred mission.”
According to the White House, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu discussed negotiations in Doha based on a proposal presented by the US president in May. Biden reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the return of hostages, and increased humanitarian aid to the enclave.
The White House said Biden spoke about the “fundamentally changed regional situation” following the ceasefire in Lebanon last November, the collapse of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime the following month, and Iran’s weakening position in the region. He spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu. .
The meeting between the two men was publicly announced since October 2024, after Netanyahu called two of the main critics of Biden’s ceasefire proposal to a meeting to discuss a possible deal. It was done.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have previously rejected a peace proposal proposed by Biden last May that included the release of hostages and a “complete and complete ceasefire.” . Both ministers rejected the idea of an immediate ceasefire and called for fighting to continue until Hamas is defeated and all hostages are returned.
Far-right ministers had previously threatened to resign and overthrow the coalition government if Netanyahu accepted Biden’s offer.
Sunday’s meeting with Israeli ministers comes as Israeli negotiators expressed “cautious optimism” in talks taking place this weekend in Doha, which is attended by a senior Israeli delegation including Mossad chief David Balnea. It was held in the middle of the day.
Netanyahu, who met with President Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday, is under pressure from both the current and incoming U.S. administrations to reach a deal.
Witkoff last week touted progress in the Doha talks and expressed optimism that an outcome could be achieved before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, but senior administration officials said talks remained difficult.
Trump himself has said that if the hostages are not released by the time he is sworn into office, “there will be hell” in the Middle East. Incoming national security adviser Mike Walz told ABC on Sunday that he hopes some agreement can be reached before taking office.
“President Trump is serious, so I’m hoping that (the hostages) walk on the tarmac or at least some kind of agreement can be reached before the inauguration,” Walz said.
Walz also said Hamas was “totally isolated” and “we need to come to some kind of agreement.”
The Biden administration said early Sunday that it continues to work to secure a hostage deal before leaving office.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that it was “possible” but “unpredictable” that a deal could be reached by January 20.
“We’re very, very close, but so close means we’re still far away, because until we actually cross the finish line, we’re not there,” Sullivan said on “State of the Union.” Because there isn’t one,” he said.
Sullivan said White House Middle East adviser Brett McGuirk was still in Doha and was “working out the final details of the documents that will be submitted to both sides with the mediators.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a December interview with CBS that aired on Sunday that any agreement reached would be “based on what President Biden presents.”
Meanwhile, those close to the Israeli prime minister have emphasized his commitment to securing a deal. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed his British counterpart to Jerusalem on Sunday and emphasized Israel’s aim to secure the hostage deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s spokesman Omer Dostri also told Israel’s Channel 14 that the government was making “every effort” to reach an agreement, but “progress is slow.”
“Ultimately it’s up to Hamas,” he said on Sunday, pushing back against critics who say Netanyahu didn’t want a deal.
“I can tell you that we’ve had a lot of discussions and the prime minister is working on this 24 hours a day, he’s discussing it late into the night, he’s talking to leaders,” he said.
“It breaks my heart to hear all sorts of sources say that the Prime Minister does not want the hostages to return home. He wants a deal.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
