President Joe Biden said he wants to see a six-week ceasefire in the war in Gaza and for Hamas, Israel, and other negotiators to work toward long-term peace in the Middle East.
Biden made his stance clear during an interview with MSNBC that aired Saturday. The president seemed eager to see Hamas agree to a ceasefire with Israel as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is set to begin Sunday night. During that period, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
“I want to see a ceasefire, and I’m starting with a major, major exchange of prisoners for a six-week period,” Biden said. “We’re going into Ramadan. It should be nothing happening, and we should build off of that ceasefire.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Israel has agreed to this six-week ceasefire, but Hamas has refused so far. The terrorist organization is holding over 134 hostages, according to Israel Defense Forces, including two children. Over 30 hostages have died in captivity.
During a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last November in which hostages were exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, the terrorist group abruptly ended the agreed-upon pause early by launching missiles at Israel.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Look, I’ve spoken with the majority there, I believe, from Saudi Arabia and Egypt to Jordan, they’re all prepared to fully recognize Israel begin to rebuild the region,” Biden went on. “And that’s the focus. What comes after Gaza? What’s next? It’s a tough decision, but there’s a lot to be done.”
This comes after a movement for Democratic voters to vote “uncommitted” in primary elections as a form of protest against the president’s support of Israel. The number of uncommitted votes resulted in Biden losing two delegates, who will be free to vote for any candidate they’d like later this year.
