The White House has put out a joint statement regarding the ceasefire deal outlined by US President, Joe Biden.
The statement was attributed to the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
It noted that the countries’ leaders “fully support the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table and as outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024.”
The statement claimed that “Israel is ready to move forward with the agreement” and called on Hamas to accept it and begin the process of releasing captives.
The proposal, which calls for a six-week ceasefire in phase one before a transition to a permanent ceasefire, has drawn mixed messages from Israeli officials, with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu claiming that he is still committed to “eliminating” Hamas before ending the war.
The statement added that the Biden-outlined ceasefire deal is the “necessary starting point” to end the war and calls on both Israel and Hamas to make whatever comprises are necessary to finalise it.
“This agreement would lead to an immediate ceasefire and rehabilitation of Gaza together with security assurances for Israelis, and Palestinians, and opportunities for a more enduring long-term peace and a two-state solution,” the statement read.
“It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point,” it added.
Meanwhile, Senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri told a news agency that while the group appreciates “Biden’s ideas,” the current ceasefire proposal does not provide a firm enough commitment that the war will end.
“The Israeli documents speak of open-ended negotiation with no deadline, and it speaks of a stage during which the occupation regains its hostages and resumes the war. We had told the mediators that such a paper wasn’t acceptable to us.”
Abu Zuhri
“The (US) document … has no mention of ending the aggression or the withdrawal,” he added.
NAACP Calls For Indefinite Suspension of Weapons Transfer To Israel
Separately, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the largest Black civil rights organisations in the US, urged Biden to “indefinitely” suspend weapon transfers to Israel.
This marked growing discontent with the US President’s support for the Israeli war on Gaza.
Biden has faced months of domestic pressure to condition US aid to Israel amid the Gaza war.
In a statement, NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson said that the group has a “responsibility to speak out in the face of injustice and work to hold our elected officials accountable for the promises they’ve made.”
“The Middle East conflict will only be resolved when the US government and international community take action, including limiting access to weapons used against civilians.
“The NAACP calls on President Biden to draw the red line and indefinitely end the shipment of weapons and artillery to the state of Israel and other states that supply weapons to Hamas.”
Derrick Johnson
Hatem Abudayyeh, Chair of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) advocacy group, said that the call by the NAACP for Biden to end arms shipments to Israel was unsurprising given historical ties between the Black and Palestinian liberation movements.
“It’s time for Biden to heed these calls from the majority of the people in the U.S, and turn off the tap of money, weapons, and political support to the criminal apartheid state of Israel,” he asserted.
Additionally, Palestinian American Comedian and Activist, Amer Zahr called the NAACP’s statement a reflection of how “the issue of Palestine has permeated deeply into the Black community.”
“The NAACP has long avoided weighing in. Today, it speaks of Palestine not only in humanitarian terms, but also in political terms, calling for liberation. That’s historic,” Zahr voiced.
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