/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/67FOJXSUORQ5BSFPVP3PMGV56A.jpg "Biden affirms that the truce negotiated by the United States for Gaza would last “at least six weeks” | International")
The truce that the United States is negotiating with other allies in the Middle East for Gaza would last “at least six weeks,” as President Joe Biden stated this Tuesday, after having received King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House when Israel is preparing an offensive against the city of Rafah, where 1.3 million people are crowded and where humanitarian organizations warn that a bloodbath may occur. The tenant was optimistic about the possibility of closing the agreement that would allow the exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas in exchange for a prolonged truce, which Washington hopes will lead to “something more lasting”: “the key elements are on the table,” he said, although he clarified that “there are still gaps.”
The president’s tone in his appearance was more critical than on previous occasions when speaking about the war in the Strip. Together with his Arab ally, who had arrived in Washington to ask for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, he alluded to “the unimaginable losses and pain” of that population, “exposed and vulnerable, that needs to be protected” and that in many cases has already been displaced from place to place throughout four months of war.
“The United States is working on a hostage pact between Israel and Hamas that would lead to a period of calm in Gaza that would last at least six weeks,” Biden declared. The president, widely criticized in sectors of his own party for his unconditional support for Israel, repeated what he had already warned in a phone call on Sunday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: that the attack on Rafah, on the border with Egypt, It should not proceed unless Israel has a “credible” protection plan for the Palestinian population.
Biden, who in November had questioned the death toll provided by the Palestinian Health Ministry, alleging that it is controlled by the radical Hamas militia, now admitted that the death toll exceeds 27,000, including thousands of children, and that hundreds Thousands of Palestinians lack access to food, water and basic services. But he stopped short of demanding a permanent ceasefire, nor announcing punitive measures towards Israel, as demanded by international representatives, including the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
The Jordanian king did, in his first visit to Washington since the death of three American soldiers last month in a drone attack carried out by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq against a US outpost in Jordan, where others were injured. forty people. “We need a lasting ceasefire now,” the sovereign stressed, “this war has to end.” He was also blunt about Israeli threats to attack Rafah: “we cannot allow it. “It would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.”
The Hashemite king also demanded the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza “by all possible means” and defended the UN agency for assistance to the Palestinian territories, UNRWA. Several Western countries, including the United States, have suspended their contributions while they investigate allegations that some of their employees played a role in the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7. “It is imperative that UNRWA receives support to continue its operations,” essential for the distribution of assistance to the civilian population in Gaza, he maintained.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed, in addition to negotiations for a temporary truce, the future in the Palestinian territories after the war. Biden stated that the two discussed the need for the Palestinian Authority to reform “urgently” to assume at least some authority in Gaza to replace Hamas. “They must prepare to build a state that accepts peace, that does not harbor terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Biden said.