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full screen President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday. Archive image. Photo: Rod Lamkey/AP/TT
Top US officials believe a ceasefire agreement between Israel and terror-labeled Hamas is unlikely before President Joe Biden’s term ends in January, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The paper cited unnamed top White House, State Department and Pentagon officials.
– No agreement is imminent, said one of the officials.
– I’m not sure it will ever happen.
The White House has previously said that Israel and Hamas have already agreed to “90 percent” of the proposed agreement and that hope for a breakthrough remains.
The pessimism mainly has to do with two things, writes the WSJ. Partly the percentage of Palestinian prisoners that Israel must release in exchange for the hostages, but also the threat of full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah after this week’s electronics attacks in Lebanon.
White House spokeswoman Sabrina Singh had a more upbeat message Thursday, ahead of publication:
– I can say that we do not believe that this agreement will fall apart, she told reporters.
The Biden administration has been trying for months to get an agreement on a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. Both sides frequently accuse each other of not wanting to get along deep down.