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Join Telegram ChannelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday “accepted” President Biden’s ceasefire plan that could end the 10-month war in Gaza, but whether the fighting will actually stop depends on Hamas.
Speaking to reporters from Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the proposal presented last week by the White House in coordination with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt was aimed at “bridging the gaps” between the warring parties and was “accepted” by Netanyahu.
“He supports this initiative,” Blinken said. “Now it is up to Hamas to do the same.”
“The parties – with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – must come together and complete the process of reaching clear agreements on how they will implement the commitments they made under this agreement,” he added.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, August 19, 2024. (Prime Minister's Office)
Blinken did not provide details on what was included in the proposal, and Netanyahu has yet to formally agree to a ceasefire at this point.
Blinken said Jerusalem and Hamas both have “complex problems” that “will require difficult decisions” before the war can truly be considered over.
“But I think there is a real sense of urgency across the region about getting to the finish line and getting to the finish line as quickly as possible,” Blinken added. “The United States is deeply committed to getting this done — and getting it done now.”
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and their supporters protest near the hotel where Secretary of State Antony Blinken is staying during his visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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The news that Netanyahu had “agreed” to the conditions set out in the proposal came after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting between Blinken and the Israeli prime minister, as well as months of negotiations.
The proposal is expected to include provisions to ensure the release of all hostages held since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
It is unclear whether the proposal excludes Israeli control over strategic corridors inside Gaza, such as the Philadelphia Highway that connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt, which Hamas has said is a nonstarter in any peace deal.
IDF troops operate in the Philadelphia Corridor, a 14-kilometer buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt. The buffer zone was created in 2006 to prevent weapons smuggling after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, but Hamas violently seized control of Gaza the following year. (TPS-IL)
However, according to a Times of Israel report, an official familiar with the meeting between Netanyahu and Blinken said, “the Americans did not reject Israel's strategic logic.”
The official said Israel remained firm in its position that the route was a security issue as long as Hamas continued to exist.
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A Hamas terrorist takes part in a military parade. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo)
Blinken's visit to Israel concludes his ninth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war, and the secretary is expected to travel to Egypt and Qatar in the coming days.
Concerns remain high in the region about the possibility of a wider regional war, driven by threats from Iran and other Islamic extremist groups such as Hezbollah.