No questions please! Biden refuses to answer as he meets Jordan’s king, says US is working on Gaza ceasefire negotiations of ‘at least six weeks’
- “The United States is working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said, noting the ceasefire would last “approximately six weeks.”
- “We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end,” King Abdullah said
- Abdullah and Biden are trying to take the war between Israel and Hamas to a new phase
President Joe Biden declined to answer questions Monday after meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, but did say the two were working on a hostage agreement to broker a temporary ceasefire.
“The United States is working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks,” Biden said.
Abdullah, for his part, called for a permanent ceasefire.
“We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end,” he said.
“The United States is working on a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks,” President Joe Biden said after meeting with 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 observation of the president as a “well-meaning, older man with a poor memory.”
When the report was released Thursday, he made hastily planned remarks criticizing Hur for questioning his memory, including the death of his son Beau.
Biden answered a brief question earlier Monday as the king, Rania and Crown Prince Hussein arrived at the White House, but he did not respond to additional questions about the fate of the hostages.
Abdullah and Biden are trying to take the war between Israel and Hamas to a new phase in which Israeli hostages are released and fighting stops for an extended period of time.
“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 towards reaching the deal. The United States will do everything it can to make this happen.”
The king warned that without a ceasefire, humanitarian catastrophes are in the making.
“We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah; It will certainly cause a new humanitarian catastrophe,” he warned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the army to prepare a plan to evacuate about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians who have fled south from Rafah to seek safety so that the operation against Hamas can continue.
Jordan is one of many Middle Eastern countries encouraging the White House to pressure Israel over its crackdown on Hamas.
Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority canceled a planned meeting with Biden in October, less than 24 hours before it was due to start in the Jordanian capital Amman.
For his part, Biden praised the work of the Jordanian king and his country for helping with the humanitarian crisis that the Palestinian people have developed as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
A Palestinian family on the beach at sunset near the Rafah refugee camp, in the south of the Gaza Strip
President Joe Biden, center, and first lady Jill Biden, second from right, pose for a photo as they greet Jordan’s King Abdullah II, second from left, Queen Rania, right, and Crown Prince Hussein, left, in the north portico of the White House
The Palestinian death toll from the war has surpassed 28,000, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gazans are hungry.
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.
Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, while Hamas is holding the remains of about 30 others who were killed or died in captivity on October 7. Three hostages were accidentally killed by the military after escaping their captors in December.