Calls for “maximum flexibility” from both Israel and Hamas; Egypt informs top US diplomat that “time has come to end the ongoing war.” DOHA: After failing to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, top US diplomat Antony Blinken returned home on Wednesday, warning Israel and Hamas that his plan may be their last chance to avoid a larger conflict.
In addition to engaging in a public argument with Israel regarding the future of Israel’s presence in the Gaza Strip, the secretary of state of the United States made an appeal to Hamas to accept a truce proposal backed by the United States as soon as possible.
On his ninth tour of the region with the goal of putting an end to the war that has been going on for more than ten months, Blinken said, “Time is of the essence.” His stops included important Arab mediators Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.
Before departing Doha, he stated, “With every passing day, more bad things can happen to more good people who don’t deserve it.”
Regarding the truce proposal, he stated, “This needs to be done, and it needs to be done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line.”
Through Qatar and Egypt, the United States has pressed Hamas to resume talks this week in Cairo and has presented ideas for bridging the gaps.
However, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagreed with Blinken on a crucial issue the day after he stated that US ally Israel was on board.
Netanyahu demanded that Israel keep control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the Gaza-Egypt border that Israeli forces seized from Hamas, which Israel claims relies on secret tunnels to bring weapons into the country.
Sticking point Blinken acknowledged differences and demanded Israel and Hamas’ “maximum flexibility.” He stated that the “schedule and location” of troop withdrawals from Gaza had already been agreed upon by Israel.
When asked about Netanyahu’s remarks, Blinken stated, “very clear that the United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel” since the conflict began.
After negotiations paused last week without a breakthrough, Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have placed their hopes on a “bridging proposal” from the United States that aims to close the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month war.
The United States anticipates that the ceasefire talks will continue this week, according to a senior Biden administration official traveling with Blinken.
On the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, a senior US official said that Netanyahu’s “maximalist statements” were not helpful in reaching a truce.
The border takeover has enraged Egypt, the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel.
By offering Israel the prospect of greater normalization with the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, Blinken has attempted to persuade Netanyahu to make a concession.
According to a statement, when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Blinken in El Alamein, he told him that “the time has come to end the ongoing war.”
After that, Blinken went to Doha to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, but a US official said they would talk by phone because the Qatari ruler was sick.
Both Hamas and Israel have laid the blame for the delays in coming to an agreement to end the fighting, release Israeli prisoners, and allow crucial humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In Israel, public demonstrations have urged Netanyahu to accept a truce, which would see the return of prisoners whose plight has bedeviled Israelis.
Leave a Reply