Broadcast United

Blinken says Israel has accepted U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal and calls on Hamas to do the same

Broadcast United News Desk
Blinken says Israel has accepted U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal and calls on Hamas to do the same

[ad_1]

TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences hindering a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza and called on Hamas to do the same, but did not say whether concerns raised by the militant group had been addressed.

Blinken spoke after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day. Blinken is expected to travel to Egypt on Tuesday. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker a deal, but talks have repeatedly stalled.

He did not say whether the so-called transitional proposal addressed Israel’s demand for control of two strategic corridors inside Gaza, which Hamas says is impossible, or other issues that have long plagued the negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, with the national flag flying in the background. Associated Press

“In a very constructive meeting today with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the transitional proposal. The next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes,'” Blinken told reporters.

Blinken has previously said it was time to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that would return hostages held by Hamas and provide relief to Palestinians who have endured more than 10 months of fierce fighting In Gaza.

This is Blinken’s ninth trip to the Middle East since the conflict broke out and comes days after mediators including the U.S. Expressing new optimism The deal is close, but Hamas is deeply dissatisfied with the latest proposal, and Israel says it is unwilling to compromise on some issues.

The visit comes days before new talks in Egypt this week amid fears the conflict could widen into a deeper regional war as Targeted elimination of two militants Both the Lebanese and Iranian attacks were blamed on Israel.

“This is a decisive moment, perhaps the best and last chance to bring the hostages home, to achieve a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to lasting peace and security,” Blinken said as he opened talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.

“It’s also time to make sure that nobody takes any steps that could undermine that process,” he said, alluding to Iran. “So we’re working to make sure that we don’t escalate, we don’t provoke, we don’t take any actions that would prevent us from getting a deal or that would escalate and escalate the conflict elsewhere.”

Herzog thanked Blinken and the Biden administration for their support for Israel and expressed regret over the series of attacks against Israelis in the past 24 hours.

“This is how we live now,” Herzog said. “We are surrounded by terrorism from all over the world, and we are fighting back as a resilient and strong country.”

The mediators will meet again in Cairo this week in an effort to solidify the ceasefire, and Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday for meetings in the Mediterranean city of El Alamein after concluding his trip to Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press

On Monday, he held a two-and-a-half-hour one-on-one meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and later in the day he had another one-on-one meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250 people. About 110 of them were Still considered in Gazabut Israeli authorities say about a third of the people died. In November, 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire.

Israel’s counterattack on Gaza More than 40,000 Palestinians were killed. According to local health authorities, the disaster caused destruction in most areas.

Late last week, the three countries mediating the proposed ceasefire — Egypt, Qatar and the United States — reported progress toward a deal under which Israel would halt most military operations in Gaza and free some Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages’ release.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press

Shortly before Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting that there were areas where Israel could be flexible, but there were also areas where it could not be flexible.

“We are in a negotiation, not simply giving and conceding,” he said.

The draft proposal calls for a three-stage process in which Hamas would release all hostages taken in the October 7 attack. In exchange, Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas accused Israel of adding new demands that it maintain a military presence on the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent weapons smuggling and along the border that bisects the territory to search for Palestinians returning to their homes in the north. Israel said those were not new demands but clarifications of previous proposals.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli President Isaac Herzog meet in Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press

Officials say the United States has made proposals to bridge any differences that remain between Israel and Hamas. A formal response to the U.S. plan is expected this week, and unless the talks stall, as they have in previous efforts, the two sides are likely to declare a ceasefire.

Hamas said in a statement late Sunday that Netanyahu was creating obstacles to a deal by constantly demanding new conditions and accused him of wanting to prolong the war. Hamas said the mediators’ latest proposal was a capitulation to Israel.

Hamas said: “The new proposal responds to Netanyahu’s conditions.”

Blinken said on Monday that the two sides should take the opportunity to reach a deal.

“It’s time for everyone to say ‘yes’ and stop making excuses for saying ‘no’,” he said.

An Israeli delegation held talks with Egyptian officials as part of ceasefire efforts, an Egyptian official said on Monday.

Sunday’s hours-long meeting focused on the Philadelphia corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border but produced no breakthrough, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said Israel still insisted on controlling the border and the east-west route through Gaza. He said the delegation did not make any new proposals during the talks.

[ad_2]

Source link

Share This Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *