From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Biden to call PM, tell him to show flexibility in hostage talks — report
US President Joe Biden is expected to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ease his demands for a ceasefire-hostage release deal in a phone call later tonight, an unnamed source with knowledge of the details tells the Walla news site.
An Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel that the call was set to occur.
The call comes as talks are said to be on the “brink of collapse,” amid faltering efforts to bring Hamas onboard to the latest US proposal, and Netanyahu’s hardline stance on the IDF’s continued presence on the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors.
According to Channel 12 news, Israeli officials are saying that chances for a hostage deal in the near future are “extremely, extremely low.”
Jacob Magid and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
