President Biden said the US will now ‘make another push’ for a Gaza ceasefire with the help of Turkey and Qatar, adding the Hezbollah ceasefire ‘brings us closer’ to a Palestinian state.
By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel
Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday said the Biden administration had pressured Israel into accepting the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah by withholding critical weapons while threatening to promote “a further, broader, binding international arms embargo through the United Nations.”
“I am deeply disturbed both by reports that Obama-Biden officials exerted enormous pressure on our Israeli allies to accept this ceasefire and by how those officials are characterizing Israel’s obligations,” Cruz said in a statement.
“This pressure and these statements are further efforts to undermine Israel and constrain the incoming Trump administration.”
Cruz added that “Obama-Biden officials pressured our Israeli allies into accepting the ceasefire by withholding weapons they needed to defend themselves and counter Hezbollah, and by threatening to facilitate a further, broader, binding international arms embargo through the United Nations.”
“Obama-Biden officials are already trying to use Israel’s acceptance of this ceasefire to ensure that Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist groups remain intact across Lebanon, and to limit Israel’s future freedom of action and self-defense.”
Biden on Tuesday addressed the ceasefire, saying, “over the next 60 days, Israel will gradually withdraw its remaining forces and civilians — civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities and begin to rebuild their homes, their schools, their farms, their businesses, and their very lives.”
“We’re determined this conflict will not be just another cycle of violence,” he added. “And so, the United States, with the full support of France and our other allies, has pledged to work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure that this arrangement is fully implemented.”
Biden revealed that “Over the coming days, the United States will make another push” for a ceasefire with Hamas as well, with the involvement of “Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others.”
He also addressed the significance of the Hezbollah ceasefire “for the broader Middle East region.”
“Today’s announcement brings us closer to realizing the affirmative agenda that I’ve been pushing forward during my entire presidency: a vision for the future of the Middle East where it’s at peace and prosperous and integrated across borders; a future where Palestinians have a state of their own, one that fulfills its people’s legitimate aspirations and one that cannot threaten Israel or harbor terrorist groups with backing from Iran; a future where Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal measures of security, prosperity, and — yes — dignity.
“To that end, the United States remains prepared to conclude a set of historic deals with Saudi Arabia to include a security pact and economic assurances together with a credible pathway for establishing a Palestinian state and the full — the full normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel — a desire they both have,” he added.
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