Biden called Netanyahu again on May 19 to urge Israel to take the lead in a cease-fire, which was politely dismissed, but on May 20, numerous media outlets unanimously reported that Israel and Hamas would reach a cease-fire at 2 a.m. local time on Friday.
As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entered its 11th day, the IDF announced in a tweet on the morning of May 20 that Israel had destroyed two more underground tunnels and a military tunnel entrance of the Hamas terrorist organization.
On the same day, however, the Associated Press, Reuters and many other media outlets reported that Israel and Hamas were close to a cease-fire between the two sides.
White House spokesman Leonid Psaki did not confirm the reports at his daily press conference, but only reiterated President Biden’s attitude – that he hoped Israel would stop its campaign against Hamas as soon as possible.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued a statement Thursday night saying the IDF would continue to protect Israeli citizens. Gantz said, “The situation on the ground will determine whether the operation continues.”
Meanwhile back home in the United States, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the representatives of the radical left, introduced a bill asking the Biden administration to hold off on the sale of $735 million worth of precision-guided weapons to Israel.
Some Republicans fear the Biden administration will pressure Israel with a suspension of military aid to induce it to halt strikes against Hamas.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave an analysis of the deeper causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a forum at the Hudson Institute, a U.S. think tank, on Nov. 19. He believes that the mastermind behind Hamas is Iran, and Iran is playing the old trick of forcing the West into line.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo: “This (return to the Iran nuclear deal) is a broader strategic move by the Biden administration to give Iran a major role in the Middle East. If you want the Iranians to sit down and negotiate in Vienna, you can’t designate the Houthis as terrorists, you can’t oppose Hamas and ideologically radical terrorist regimes firing missiles from the Gaza Strip at Israeli civilians, you can’t be tough because you know you’re negotiating with Iran and that’s part of your agenda or you’re going to blow it. “
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