President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday during a phone call in which the two leaders discussed the progress made in reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to the White House.
The call, which comes at a low point in Biden’s term in office with the president fighting to maintain the support of Democratic power players following his disastrous performance in the first 2024 presidential debate, was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, according to multiple reports.
The White House did not confirm Harris’s participation in the call, but Fox News reported that Harris routinely takes part in the president’s calls with his Israeli counterpart, joining more than 20 such conversations since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
Senior White House officials briefed reporters on the contents of the call Thursday afternoon, specifically how Biden and Netanyahu worked through a “critical impasse” in the latest ceasefire proposal put forth by Hamas.
The White House sounded optimistic about a “pretty significant opening” toward reaching a ceasefire framework on the part of the Israelis. Officials said this latest offer marked “significant adjustments” from Hamas’s previous stance and that the only roadblocks toward adopting the framework centered on finalizing the “implementation” timeline.
Tensions have increased between Biden and Netanyahu in recent weeks, despite the president throwing the full backing of the United States behind Israel’s early efforts to root Hamas out of Gaza.
Netanyahu accused the Biden administration of halting all arms shipments to Israel in June, a claim the White House vehemently denied. Biden did pause one artillery shipment to Israel in an effort to control the Israel Defense Forces’s assault of Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in the region, and ensure minimal civilian casualties. The two leaders have also given conflicting statements regarding talks to broker a prolonged ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Biden is expected to further discuss the latest proposal with European leaders at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., next week.
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“President Biden and the Prime Minister discussed ongoing efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal together with the release of hostages, as outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council, the G7, and countries around the world,” the White House’s official readout of the call said. “The leaders discussed the recent response received from Hamas. The President welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to authorize his negotiators to engage with U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators in an effort to close out the deal.”
“President Biden reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security including in the face of threats from Iranian-backed terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah,” the White House continued, noting that both countries’ respective national security teams are slated to hold meetings on July 15 about the war and attempts to free any remaining hostages.
