Chicago – February 17, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that he recently had extensive meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he pressed for a temporary cease-fire.
The Biden administration has been urging Israel to impose a humanitarian pause that would allow the release of captives still held by Hamas.
“I’ve had extensive conversations with the prime minister of Israel over the last several days, almost an hour each, and I’ve made the case, and I feel very strongly about it, that there has to be a temporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out, to get the hostages out,” Biden told reporters at the White House.
According to the White House, Biden reminded Netanyahu on Thursday that military action in Rafah should not be taken unless he has a credible and executable strategy to safeguard the Palestinian people.
