Gaps remain between Israel and Hamas, but the sides are ‘closer now than we’ve been before’, a White House spokesman says.
US President Joe Biden pressed for a ceasefire to the nine-month-old war in Gaza in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, with US Vice-President Kamala Harris due to meet the Israeli leader later in the day.
They were the first face-to-face talks for the two men since Biden travelled to Israel days after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, hugged Netanyahu and pledged American support.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said gaps remain between Israel and the Hamas militants who run the Palestinian enclave in the drive for a ceasefire but “we are closer now than we’ve been before”.
“Both sides have to make compromises,” Kirby said.
US State Department spokesman Matt Miller said: “I think the message from the American side in that meeting will be that we need to get this deal over the line.”
The visit coincides with a shift in American politics. On Sunday, Biden, 81, stepped aside from the US presidential race under pressure from fellow Democrats and endorsed Harris for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Biden said when he welcomed Netanyahu to the Oval Office.
“I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu told Biden.
In the late afternoon, Harris will meet the Israeli leader in her ceremonial office at the White House.
