WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech from the Rose Garden on Tuesday afternoon, but details are unclear on what he will discuss.

He may be considering tackling the Middle East peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he would recommend his cabinet adopt a U.S.-brokered deal. ceasefire agreement with Lebanese Hezbollah – a breakthrough in long-standing violence.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, in support of the Palestinian militant group. That sparked more than a year of fighting that escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and an Israeli ground invasion of the south of the country.

More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon over the past 13 months, including many civilians, according to Lebanese health authorities. The bombings drove 1.2 million people from their homes.

Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli military bases, towns and villages, including some 250 projectiles on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the United States, Egypt and Qatar spent months trying to negotiate a ceasefire deal in which Hamas would release its remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for an end to the war. These discussions broke down over the summer.

Protests and counter-demonstrations against US military support for Israel rocked American college campuses in the spring, and support has been divisive among Democratic voters in this election.

Arrest warrants for Netanyahu

Arrest warrants were issued Thursday by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials – accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu on Thursday condemned the ICC’s arrest warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust these absurd and false actions.” In a statement released by his office, he added: “There is nothing other than the war that Israel is waging in Gaza.”

RELATED: Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas officials issued by the International Criminal Court

Overall, Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants, calling it shameful and anti-Semitic.

American President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also rejected this request.

Meanwhile, human rights groups applauded the recent decision.

“The ICC’s arrest warrants for senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official shatter the perception that some individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” said Balkees Jarrah, deputy international justice director at Human Rights Watch. , in a press release.