Reuters – U.S. officials believe it is unlikely that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will be reached before President Joe Biden's term ends in January, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The newspaper cited senior officials from the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon, though it did not name them. These agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Two weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a ceasefire agreement was 90% complete, while Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly stated that Washington has been working tirelessly to achieve it.
The United States, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, has been trying for months to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Negotiations have faced two major obstacles: Israel’s demand to maintain its forces in the Philadelphi Corridor as a buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of a potential exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
On May 31, Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire plan, which he said Israel had agreed to at the time. However, the deal has encountered setbacks, and for weeks, officials have said that a new proposal would soon be introduced.
Critics and human rights groups have urged Washington to leverage its influence by conditioning military support for Israel, but the U.S. has maintained its backing of its ally.
The newspaper cited senior officials from the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon, though it did not name them. These agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Two weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a ceasefire agreement was 90% complete, while Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly stated that Washington has been working tirelessly to achieve it.
The United States, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, has been trying for months to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Negotiations have faced two major obstacles: Israel’s demand to maintain its forces in the Philadelphi Corridor as a buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of a potential exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
On May 31, Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire plan, which he said Israel had agreed to at the time. However, the deal has encountered setbacks, and for weeks, officials have said that a new proposal would soon be introduced.
Critics and human rights groups have urged Washington to leverage its influence by conditioning military support for Israel, but the U.S. has maintained its backing of its ally.