From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 3, 2024
Blinken presses Gallant, Gantz on US hostage deal proposal, says onus on Hamas
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held phone calls Sunday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz to discuss the latest Israeli hostage deal proposal unveiled by President Joe Biden late last week, the State Department says.
Blinken “commended Israel’s readiness to conclude a deal and affirmed that the onus is on Hamas to accept,” according to the US readout.
The top US diplomat also “underscored that the proposal would advance Israel’s long-term security interests, including by enabling the possibility of further integration in the region.”
These were the first publicized calls between senior US and Israeli officials since Biden’s Friday speech in which he revealed details of the hostage deal proposal authorized by the war cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz.
There is no immediate Israeli comment on the calls.
