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Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Framework Accepted by Both Israel, Hamas

US President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 28, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the framework for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 

Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home. There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas. My team is making progress and I’m determined to get this done,” Biden posted on X/Twitter. 

Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home.

There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas.

My team is making progress and I’m determined to…

— President Biden (@POTUS) July 12, 2024

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters on Thursday that there were “miles to go on a ceasefire” but that “signs are more positive today than they have been in recent weeks.”

A senior Israeli official told Israel’s Channel 12 on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a ceasefire deal which would include assurances that Hamas fighters do not return to the northern portion of Gaza.

“This is the moment of truth for the hostages,” the official said. “We can reach an agreement within two weeks and bring the hostages home.”

The unnamed official criticized Netanyahu, arguing that his new condition is not feasible, would slow down negotiations, and that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “know how to deal with the return of the armed terrorists to northern Gaza.”

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists launched the ongoing war with their invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign in neighboring Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the Palestinian terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.

Approximately 120 hostages remain in Gaza. Many were freed as part of a temporary truce in November, and others have been rescued by Israeli military forces. It is unclear how many of the remaining hostages are alive.

In late May, Biden unveiled a new ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas. The multi-phase plan would ultimately include a “complete ceasefire” between the two sides as well as the “withdrawal of Israeli forces” in Gaza. In addition, Biden said, the plan would secure the “release of all hostages” in Gaza. 

Hamas subsequently rejected the ceasefire proposal from the Biden administration, arguing that it did not “guarantee a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.” Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, asserted that the terrorist group would not agree to relinquish their weapons in any potential ceasefire deal. 

Israel also expressed hesitations about Biden’s ceasefire proposal, suggesting that the plan would prevent the country from achieving its objectives of permanently dismantling Hamas and freeing all the hostages in Gaza. Netanyahu said that Israel would only agree to “discuss” the end of the war and that the Jewish state would continue fighting until it achieves “total victory.” Moreover, Israeli officials were lukewarm on the plan, arguing that it did would not guarantee the defeat of Hamas. 

Nonetheless, the Biden administration has insisted that the proposed ceasefire deal could secure the elimination of Hamas from Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. Sullivan, while speaking to an audience at the American Jewish Committee Global Forum 2024 event last month, said that the ceasefire proposal can ensure that “Hamas is no longer in power.” Sullivan stated that an “interim governance enterprise” could help eliminate terrorism and maintain stability within Gaza.

The Washington Post reported this week that the framework for the ceasefire, the details of which still need to be hashed out, would be a three-phase process. Echoing Sullivan’s comments, a US official told the outlet that the deal would include an “interim governance” plan in which neither Israel nor Hamas would control Gaza. Before this new government takes control, 33 hostages would be released.

The final stage of the deal would see the release of male IDF soldiers held captive and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, according to the official.

The post Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Framework Accepted by Both Israel, Hamas first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville

i24 NewsThe United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.

France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.

French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.

This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.

However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.

The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack

A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

i24 NewsThe Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.

Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.

The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.

He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.

The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.

His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.

The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.

The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.

“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.

Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.

The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.

Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.

German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.

Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.

The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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