According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “reaffirmed his commitment” to a plan for a truce in Gaza, and Hamas will bear responsibility if it fails.
Mr. Blinken restated his demand that Hamas embrace the proposal that President Biden presented a week and a half ago. One day after meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Jerusalem, he was giving this speech.
He alluded to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as “one guy” who was hidden “ten storeys underground in Gaza” and claimed to be the one who had to deliver the deciding vote.
Mr. Netanyahu has not stated whether what Mr. Biden said is consistent with an Israeli ceasefire plan or openly backed what Mr. Biden’s statement was based on
Regarding Hamas’s response to a resolution that the UN Security Council voted on Monday endorsing what Mr. Biden had said, Mr. Blinken called it a “hopeful sign”.
The resolution urged Hamas to follow Israel’s lead and acknowledged that Israel had agreed with Mr. Biden’s proposal.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Hamas expressed gratitude for “what was included” in the resolution.
However, Mr. Blinken stated that the answer from Hamas was inconclusive, stating that “what counts” is what the Hamas leadership in Gaza says, “and that’s what we don’t have”.
He declared that it was “on them” if the plan did not move forward.
According to the plan, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian inmates in exchange for Hamas freeing certain captives during the first six weeks of the truce.
In a second phase, Israel would completely withdraw its soldiers from Gaza as part of a “permanent” truce, albeit the release of the remaining hostages by Hamas would still need to be negotiated.
The US is making a strong diplomatic effort through Mr. Blinken’s visit to encourage the parties to move forward with the idea, but there are significant challenges in reaching a consensus.
Although Mr. Netanyahu has admitted that his military cabinet has approved the proposal, he has not stated categorically that he supports it.
His cabinet’s far-right ultranationalists, who view the agreement as a capitulation to Hamas, have threatened to leave his coalition and bring it to an end if it moves forward.
In the meanwhile, Hamas is probably going to want for unambiguous assurances that the plan will result in the total evacuation of Israeli soldiers and the end of the conflict.
It hasn’t officially responded to the idea as of yet.
The real Israeli plan, which is supposedly longer than the summary that Mr. Biden delivered, has not been made public, and it is not evident if it differs from the message that the president conveyed on May 31. It was given to Hamas a few days before Mr. Biden gave his address.
As part of its drive to get the parties to move forward with the idea, the Biden administration is attempting to take advantage of public pressure.
Protesters holding American flags and demanding an accord were outside Mr. Blinken’s hotel on Tuesday when he spoke with Israeli authorities in Tel Aviv. Many screamed “SOS, USA” and “we trust you, Blinken, seal a deal” while brandishing images of captives.
The mother of 19-year-old Israeli soldier Nimrod Cohen, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7, Vicki Cohen, waved a poster with his image on it.
“We come here to ask Blinken and the USA government to help us, to save us from our government,” she stated to the BBC. We need their assistance to put pressure on our government since our prime minister does not want to bring back our loved ones.”
Later, during a brief encounter with the captive families outside the hotel, Mr. Blinken spoke with Ms. Cohen and other prisoner families, including American families.
“You’re going to be here every day, we’re going to be here every day,” he stated to them.
Continuing the fast-paced diplomatic tour, the secretary of state flew in a US military aircraft to Amman, the capital of Jordan, and then took a helicopter to the Dead Sea to attend a gathering of Arab leaders demanding more access for humanitarian supplies into the war-torn Gaza.
Five helicopters from the Jordanian air force transported Mr. Blinken, his aides, and the BBC among the roaming press corps. Flying low, the armada made its way westward to the town of Swemeh, which is situated on the Dead Sea’s shoreline right across from the occupied West Bank.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the meeting, “The horror must end.” “The speed and scale of the carnage and killing in Gaza is beyond anything in my years as secretary general,” he stated.
Head of UN humanitarian coordination Martin Griffiths called the Gaza conflict a “stain on our humanity” and demanded $2.5 billion to cover Gaza’s Palestinian population’s humanitarian needs from April to December.After Hamas struck Israel on October 7, murdering over 1,200 people and capturing 251 more as captives and sending them back to Gaza, the conflict broke out. Since then, the Israeli onslaught has claimed the lives of over 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is managed by Hamas.
