President Joe Biden declined to answer questions Monday after his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, but said the two were working on a hostage-taking agreement to bring about a temporary ceasefire.
“The United States is working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring immediate and sustained calm in Gaza for at least six weeks,” Biden said.
Abdullah, for his part, called for a permanent ceasefire.
“We need a permanent ceasefire now.” “This war must end,” he said.
“The United States is working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring immediate and sustained calm in Gaza for at least six weeks,” President Joe Biden said after meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah II
Biden's refusal to speak to the press came after special counsel Robert Hur released his report, which included the politically embarrassing remark that the president was a “well-meaning, older man with a poor memory.”
The 388-page report was a double-edged sword for the president. It confirmed that he would not face charges over the mishandling of classified documents, but said this was because a jury was likely to conclude he had “limited abilities” and was a “well-meaning, older man with a bad memory”.
As the report was released Thursday, Biden, 81, delivered hastily scheduled remarks in which he criticized Hur for raising doubts about his memory, including the death of his son Beau.
But he also made a notable mistake by confusing the president of Egypt with the president of Mexico. It was the third mistake Biden had made involving a world leader in a week.
The fallout from the Justice Department's report even lost Biden the support of the editorial board and opinion writers of the liberal New York Times, who showed how concerned they are that the ailing Biden might not be able to defeat the “bad man” Donald Trump to defeat year.
Biden's lack of enthusiasm on the campaign trail, coupled with his moody public appearance and “quirky grandpa” attitude, are major concerns during this “dark period” of his presidency, the left-leaning broadsheet newspaper says.
“He must do more to show the public that he is fully capable of holding office until age 86,” the board told the Times on Sunday.
Biden answered a brief question Monday as the king, Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein arrived at the White House, but did not address further questions about the fate of the hostages.
Abdullah and Biden want to move the war between Israel and Hamas into a new phase in which Israeli hostages are released and fighting stops for an extended period.
“The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said. “There are still gaps, but I have encouraged Israeli leaders to continue working to achieve the agreement.” “The United States will do everything possible to achieve this.”
The king warned that without a ceasefire there would be a risk of humanitarian disaster and expressed concern about a possible Israeli military operation in the border town of Rafah.
“We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah; “It will certainly create another humanitarian disaster,” he warned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the military to develop a plan to evacuate about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians who have fled to southern Rafah to seek safety so that Hamas can continue its anti-Hamas operation.
As the two men spoke on Sunday, Netanyahu and Biden engaged in a heated argument over the possible expansion of Israeli military operations in Rafah.
Biden reiterated U.S. opposition to the idea under “current conditions” while more than 1.3 million people seek refuge there.
The president, asked earlier Monday whether Netanyahu would follow his advice, replied: “Everyone does.”
Jordan is one of many Middle Eastern countries encouraging the White House to pressure Israel over its tough campaign against Hamas.
Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority canceled a planned meeting with Biden in October less than 24 hours before it was scheduled to begin in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Jordan and other Arab states have been extremely critical of Israel's actions.
For his part, Biden praised the work of the Jordanian king and his country in helping to address the humanitarian crisis that has gripped the Palestinian people during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinians receive relief food in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
A Palestinian family on the beach at sunset near the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip
President Joe Biden (center) and First Lady Jill Biden (second from right) pose for a photo as they meet Jordan's King Abdullah II (second from left), Queen Rania (right) and Crown Prince Hussein (left) in the North Portico of the White House greet
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll from the war has exceeded 28,000 people. A quarter of Gaza's residents are starving.
The war began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250.
According to Israel, approximately 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, while Hamas is holding the remains of approximately 30 additional hostages who were either killed on October 7 or died in captivity. Three hostages were accidentally killed by the army after escaping their captors in December.
Biden's meeting with King Abdullah also came a few weeks after the deaths of three US soldiers in an airstrike in Jordan.