WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will likely talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, his national security adviser said on Sunday, as US officials race to reach a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal before Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.
Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that the parties were “very, very close” to reaching a deal to halt the fighting in the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there, but still had to get it across the finish line.
Biden was getting daily updates on the talks in Doha, where Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that some progress has been made in the indirect talks between Israel and militant group Hamas, Sullivan said.
“We are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done,” he said, adding that Biden “is likely, in the near term, to engage with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we are not, by any stretch of imagination, setting this aside.”
He said there was still a chance to reach an agreement before Biden leaves office, but that it was also possible “Hamas, in particular, remains intransigent.”
Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, and most of its population displaced.
Vice President-elect JD Vance told the “Fox News Sunday” program in an interview taped on Saturday that he expects a deal for the release of US hostages in the Middle East to be announced in the final days of the Biden administration, maybe in the last day or two.
President-elect Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, has strongly backed Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas. He has promised to bring peace to the Middle East, but has not said how he would accomplish that.
Biden likely to talk with Netanyahu; hostage deal ‘very close,’ security adviser says
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Biden likely to talk with Netanyahu; hostage deal ‘very close,’ security adviser says
- Biden getting daily updates on talks in Doha, where Israeli and Palestinian officials said since Thursday some progress made
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi grounded in Qatar amid intensifying Iran war
- Al-Khelaifi has been trying to return to Paris ahead of PSG’s Champions League round-of-16 match against Chelsea on Wednesday
- He was trying to get a flight out of Doha on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morningWEST SAI
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been left stranded in Qatar amid the war in the Middle East.
Al-Khelaifi has not been able to fly out of Doha for more than a week, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on the condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Flights in and out of the Middle East have been impacted by the Iran war, which began the US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
Al-Khelaifi has been trying to return to Paris ahead of PSG’s Champions League round-of-16 match against Chelsea on Wednesday. He was trying to get a flight out of Doha on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, the person said.
With only limited space available on commercial flights, passengers have been left waiting until close to take-off if they have been approved to fly.
The ripple effects of the war have spread across the Middle East and beyond with Iran launching retaliatory strikes in the Gulf states. It has upended travel across the region, stranding hundreds of thousands of people.
Airports in the Gulf serve as critical hubs connecting travelers going to Europe, Africa and Asia. Airspace closures have seen many carriers forced to either cancel flights or shift to longer routes.
Last week US citizens described frustrations and growing fear as they encountered closed airports and canceled flights.
But there have been signs that flight disruptions are easing.
The British government said Tuesday that the number of commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates to the UK was returning to normal levels.
The Foreign Office said 32 flights operated from Dubai to Britain on Monday and another 36 were scheduled Tuesday. The British government has also operated a handful of chartered flights from Oman and Dubai, with more than 45,000 UK citizens returning from the Gulf since the conflict began.
PSG are the defending European champion and hosts Chelsea at Parc des Princes in the first leg of the round of 16 tie. The teams play again in London next week.
