GAZA / USA – Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu have met in an effort to close the remaining “gaps” in the push for a Gaza ceasefire deal, the White House said.

The meeting at the White House came a day after Mr Netanyahu gave a fiery speech to Congress as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside. US Vice-President Kamala Harris later met Mr Netanyahu and said she had voiced “serious concerns” over casualties in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.

He said he had known the US president for 40 years – and that Mr Biden had known every Israeli PM over the last half a century. “From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said. Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.

The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli PM that Mr Biden had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant. The meeting follows months of tension over the war in Gaza, with Mr Biden reaching the point in May, according to his friend and former defence secretary Chuck Hagel, where he said “enough is enough”.

Mr Biden also previously publicly threatened to hold back weapons shipments if Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah, prompting anger in Israel. Mr Netanyahu said in June it was “inconceivable” for the Biden administration to withhold weapons and ammunition from Israel. At a news briefing, national security spokesman John Kirby said the pair discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks.

While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, it was still “healthy”. “By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister”. Mr Netanyahu also met Vice-President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee now that Mr Biden has stepped down from his re-election campaign. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ms Harris called the discussion “frank and constructive”, adding that she has an “unwavering commitment” to Israel and its right to defend itself. She added, however, that she had “serious concerns” about Israeli operations in Gaza and the “dire humanitarian situation there”.

“I will not be silent,” she added. “It is time for this war to end.” “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war,” she said. “Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s bring much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.” She added that the war in Gaza is “not a binary conversation” and encouraged Americans to understand the “history and nuance” of the conflict. The US and Israeli leaders also held a closed-door meeting with the families of seven US citizens still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (BBC)…[+]