Biden: “The ceasefire will give us time to achieve progress with the Arab countries, as Saudi Arabia is ready to recognize the State of Israel.”* US Treasury Secretary: “Israeli measures negatively affect the Palestinian and Israeli economy, and Netanyahu did not respond to these concerns.”

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that "Israel has agreed to hand over tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and the money has begun to flow," adding that "I informed Netanyahu that Israel must return work permits to the Palestinians and reduce trade restrictions in the West Bank."

Yellen added, "We have not observed a major impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the global economy and we continue to monitor closely," but she pointed out that if the Israeli war on Gaza expands into "a regional conflict, it will pose a threat to global expectations."

She added that "Israeli measures have a negative impact on the Palestinian economy and Israel itself," and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has not yet responded to the concerns we raised."

For his part, US President Joe Biden told NBC last night that Israel has agreed not to conduct military operations in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan.

He added, "Israel has received the support of most countries in the world, but if it continues with its current performance with their unusually conservative government, with Ben Gvir and others, they will lose the support of the world. This is not in Israel's interest."

Biden continued that Israel had committed to allowing the Palestinians to evacuate Rafah before it invaded the city, and that there was an agreement in principle on a ceasefire between the two sides, with an agreement on a prisoner exchange deal.

He pointed out that "Ramadan is approaching, and there was an agreement among the Israelis not to carry out any military operations during the month of Ramadan to give an opportunity to release all the hostages."

Biden considered that the temporary ceasefire would contribute to improving relations with countries neighboring Israel and promoting the process of establishing an independent Palestinian state. He added, "This will give us time to achieve progress in relations with Arab countries that are ready to cooperate. For example, Saudi Arabia is ready to recognize the State of Israel."

He continued, "If we succeed in implementing a temporary ceasefire, we will be able to move in a direction that allows us to change the situation. The two-state solution will not be implemented immediately, but rather there will be a (gradual) process to reach the two-state solution and guarantee the security of Israel and the independence of the Palestinians," noting that Netanyahu announced He repeatedly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Biden said last night that he hopes to reach a ceasefire by next Monday.

Biden is witnessing a decline in support among young Americans and progressive, left-leaning voters due to his strong support for Israel in light of the rising number of Palestinian martyrs.

Biden said that “a very large number of innocent people are being killed” in the Gaza Strip, but he claimed that “Israel slowed down the pace of attacks on Rafah,” and that Israel “was keen to allow (the Palestinians) to evacuate large parts of Rafah before starting to target the remaining Hamas members.”

source: Arab48