Biden to launch Gaza ceasefire drive right away: Sullivan
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According to the national security advisor, the potential for a ceasefire may begin a "more stable Middle East in which Israel's security is assured and US interests are secured."
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President Joe Biden turns as reporters ask questions as he arrives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 10, 2024 (AP)
According to his national security advisor Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden will restart his push to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and a captive agreement on Wednesday after a ceasefire took effect in Lebanon.
Biden announced on Tuesday that the governments of "Israel" and Lebanon had accepted a proposal to end the war. "I just spoke with the prime ministers of Israel and Lebanon and I'm pleased to announce that their governments have accepted the United States' proposal to end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah," he said.
"This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," he added, thanking French President Emmanuel Macron for his "partnership in reaching this moment."
Biden said that the Lebanese Army would regain control over its territory following the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Sullivan expressed to MSNBC that a ceasefire in Lebanon would pressure the Palestinian resistance since, according to the US official, "Hezbollah is no longer fighting in solidarity with Hamas."
Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just before the US- and French-brokered truce was announced Tuesday, according to Sullivan, adding that "President Biden intends to begin that work today by having his envoys engage with Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and other actors in the region."
The official remarked that the potential for a ceasefire may begin a "more stable Middle East in which Israel's security is assured and US interests are secured."
Another push for Gaza ceasefire
Regarding the Gaza Strip, Biden noted on Tuesday that the US, Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and the Israeli occupation entity would "make another push" in the coming days for a ceasefire.
He expressed that the people of Gaza “deserve an end of the fighting and displacement," as Israeli airstrikes continue to target the besieged Palestinian Strip.
Seeking to attribute the ceasefire agreement to the effort of his administration, Biden said the acceptance of the proposal by both "Israel" and Lebanon “brings us closer to the realizing the affirmative agenda” of his presidency, which, according to him, envisions a Middle East that is “at peace and prosperous, and integrated across borders.”
Elsewhere, he revealed that Washington would also push for a deal to normalize relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh.
