New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that has claimed over 4,000 lives on both sides so far, US President Joe Biden will visit the Jewish nation on Wednesday during the course of which he is likely to seek some key concessions.
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“On Wednesday, I’ll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack,” Biden posted on X. “I’ll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is already in Tel Aviv, has said that Biden will hear from the Jewish nation on “how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties”.
According to a source familiar with the developments, Biden is likely to try and clinch a three-part deal with Israel. “One is to allow all foreign passport-holders to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt,” the source told ETV Bharat.
Read more: Biden expresses support for ceasefire in call with Israeli PM
There are around 500-600 American passport holders stuck in Gaza. These include Palestinians who hold American passports. The second part of the deal is that Egypt will only allow foreign citizens to leave through the Rafah crossing. Rafah is the southernmost post of exit from Gaza. But there is a twist here. Hamas may not know for sure who are US citizens and who are not.
“Some of the people going to Egypt may be stopped and taken hostage,” the source said. “For the US, any person holding an American passport is an American citizen no matter what that person’s country of origin is.”
The third part of the deal is that Israel will have to open its border with Egypt so that humanitarian aid for Gaza can flow in. “There is an airfield just 45 km from Rafah where foreign planes can land,” the source said. “There are over 100 trucks filled with baby powder, food and medicines that are ready to move into Gaza.”
To allow this humanitarian aid to pass through, Israel will have to stop bombing Gaza for 12 to 24 hours. Egypt will only allow humanitarian aid to pass through the Rafah crossing. Till now, Israel has not been allowing trucks to come in through the Rafah crossing till now suspecting these might be carrying bombs.
According to Secretary Blinken, Biden “will continue to coordinate closely with our Israeli partners to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas, including men, women, small children, Holocaust survivors, and American citizens”.
“President Biden will again make clear, as he's done unequivocally since the Hamas slaughter of more than 1,400 people, including at least 30 Americans, that Israel has the right and indeed the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks,” Blinken said.
Besides Israel, Biden will also visit Jordan where he will meet King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the White House. “You see, for Biden, this is election year,” the source pointed out. “He cannot afford to return from Israel empty-handed.”
