US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CBS television that Middle East tensions could easily escalate into a regional war, but it is still possible to avert this scenario.

Iran PressAmerica: Biden was asked if he believes a ceasefire is possible in Gaza before he leaves office in January, to which he replied, "Yes, it's still possible. The plan I put together, endorsed by the G7 and the UN Security Council, is still viable. I'm working every single day, along with my whole team, to ensure that the situation doesn't escalate into a regional war. However, it easily can."

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

On May 31, the U.S. president announced a proposal to reach an agreement in Gaza. The proposal involves a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for an amnesty for Palestinian prisoners.

Qatar, Egypt, and the United States are preparing a peace plan, but the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, by the Zionist regime has made efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza face challenges.

Palestine is ready for the international peace conference on the Palestinian issue, which will finally settle all aspects of its status, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told TASS.

Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS on Sunday that Abbas was set to pay an official visit to Russia on August 12-14 and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

"A strategic settlement to the Palestinian issue is as follows: granting the Palestinian people their right to freedom, independence and self-determination based on a two-state solution that respects international law, the world community and the United Nations; putting an end to all Israeli unilateral and hostile actions in the West Bank and Jerusalem; resolving all aspects of the final status [of Palestine] by means of an international peace conference; a full withdrawal of troops within a specified timeframe; implementing the mechanism of a universal, comprehensive and inclusive settlement of the Palestinian people's rights to freedom, independence and self-determination," Abbas said.

The Palestinian leader said he believes that while being in power the current Israeli "extremist government does not believe in peace and positions itself above the international law and it drives the situation in the Middle East to the tenser situation."

 

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