By Luis De Jesus
01 Jun 2024, 19:37 PM EDT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this Saturday his intention to address both chambers of the United States Congress after receiving a joint invitation from the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Netanyahu expressed in an official statement, cited by the Efe news agency, his enthusiasm for the opportunity to represent Israel and defend its position in the conflict with the terrorist group Hamas.
“I am excited by the privilege of representing Israel before both houses of Congress and of presenting the truth about our just war against those who seek our lives to representatives of the American people and around the world,” he said.
With this intervention, Netanyahu will become the first foreign leader to address the US Congress for the fourth time.
The invitation from the leadership of the United States Congress was extended this Friday. Israel’s prime minister was asked to speak about defending democracy and fighting terrorism and to share his vision on how to establish a just and lasting peace in the region.
This announcement comes amid the efforts of the US government of Joe Biden to promote a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The truce seeks the release of Israeli hostages and the end of a conflict that has claimed more than 36,300 lives in the strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he authorized his negotiators to present a draft agreement to Hamas, following the phased truce scheme proposed by US President Joe Biden.
The Democratic president’s plan foresees exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, accompanied by a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the implementation of a reconstruction plan for the devastated territory.
However, Netanyahu stated that the war will not end until Israel has achieved its military objectives, which include the complete elimination of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities.
For its part, the terrorist group highlights its willingness to accept an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, conditional on the agreement implying the end of the war in Gaza.
Hamas sees the proposal “positively”
The Islamist group expressed that it considers the truce proposal “positively”, as long as it includes a definitive ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, the reconstruction of Gaza and the exchange of prisoners.
He has assured that he is willing to participate constructively in any plan that contemplates these aspects.
Hamas has reiterated in recent days its willingness to negotiate an agreement to release the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, on the condition that Israel ends hostilities in Gaza.
The committee of relatives of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip urged Israeli authorities to immediately approve the truce plan announced by the American president.
In a brief but forceful statement, the group urged all members of the War Cabinet, Government and Parliament to give the plan the green light and stressed the urgency of decisive action to free the hostages.
In addition, he reiterated his commitment to continue organizing weekly demonstrations to pressure for an agreement that will end the crisis and bring security and peace to the region.
Keep reading:
• China accuses the United States of trying to create a NATO in Asia to maintain its hegemony
• Biden announced that Israel offered a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza; Hamas sees it positively
• US Congressional leaders invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the floor