Biden Raises Cease-Fire In Call To Netanyahu

The White House says President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday, the eighth day of Israeli-Palestinian airstrikes and rocket attacks. Biden’s move signals U.S. concern for an end to Israel’s part of hostilities with Hamas, although it falls short of joining growing demands from Democrats for an immediate cease-fire. The U.S. says it is engaging in “quiet diplomacy” in an effort to end the fighting. A White House readout of the Biden-Netanyahu call said that while the U.S. leader expressed his support for a cease-fire he also renewed his “firm support” for Israel’s right to defend itself.