The White House defended President Joe Biden‘s efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying that new terms submitted by the terrorist organization are blocking further progress.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Biden administration’s negotiations had been “upended” by recent demands put forward by Hamas regarding imprisoned Palestinians to be released by Israel.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and John Kirby, Biden’s national security spokesman, confirmed the new demands during Monday’s press briefing.
“Hamas did change some of the terms of the exchange, and that has made it more difficult for us to get there,” Kirby told reporters when asked about the report. “We still believe that even with the new amendments that Hamas has made, but that it’s still worth an effort to try to see if we can’t get back into a ceasefire negotiation.”
Earlier in the briefing, however, Kirby rejected the idea that Biden wasn’t applying enough pressure to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of intentionally subverting the negotiations process, saying that Hamas presents the “main obstacle” toward reaching an agreement.
Jean-Pierre added that Biden’s team is pursuing “all efforts” to “secure a deal that would release again the hostages that are being held by Hamas.”
“We want to continue to talk about the next steps with our co-mediators, Qatar, and that’s what we’re doing,” she continued. “That’s the focus. That’s what the president believes.”
Nevertheless, U.S. allies have begun to alter their approach to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The United Kingdom recently paused the sales of arms to Israel in the absence of a ceasefire deal.
Kirby would not say if the president would discuss the decision with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip to the White House.
“This isn’t about twisting arms or trying to change minds. The British government has made their determination about arms provisions to Israel. We respect that,” he explained. “That’s for them to speak to. This is about how we move together as principal allies and good friends on a range of foreign policy issues.”
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You can watch Monday’s briefing in full below.