Biden touts Israeli-backed ceasefire plan to end ‘indefinite war’

President Joe Biden has urged Israel and Hamas to adopt an Israeli-backed plan for what he described as a “full and complete ceasefire” that could bring an end to the nearly eight-month-old war that has roiled the Middle East and sapped his support among Arab-Americans and younger voters.

Speaking from the White House on Friday, Biden said the “comprehensive” proposal has been offered by Israel to Hamas negotiators after months of painstaking and “intensive diplomacy” efforts, carried out by US negotiators in conjunction with Israeli, Qatari, Egyptian and other Middle Eastern representatives.

This latest attempt at a negotiated solution to the conflict comes amid Israel’s continued assault on the Gaza border city of Rafah, an operation which Israeli officials have continued despite widespread international opposition, and pressure from the Biden administration to limit its scope. Biden and his aides have also been the subject of criticism on account ofIsrael’s bombing of a Rafah tent camp with US-made bombs earlier this week.

Biden called the new plan “a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages” and said the plan has officially been transmitted to Hamas by way of Qatari government. Qatar has allowed members of the Hamas political organization to base themselves in the country.

The president said the proposal would involve three distinct phases: First, a six-week “full and complete ceasefire” including “withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, the release of a number of hostages including women, the elderly, [and] the wounded” and the release of “hundreds of Palestinian prisoners” by Israel.

“Palestinian civilians would return to their homes and neighborhoods in all areas of