Blinken says Netanyahu accepts latest US proposal on deal, now Hamas ‘must do the same’

Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv after meeting Israel’s leadership, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is in the region “to bring across the finish line” attempts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and to bring the hostages home.

He says an enduring ceasefire proposal “also reflects Israel’s security interests,” and that it would “relieve the terrible daily suffering of Gazans desperate for food to eat, for shelter, and staying out of harm’s way.”

Blinken says he had a “very constructive meeting” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. And he stresses that the premier “confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal” offered by the US last week in Doha “to try to bridge the gaps that remain between the parties.”

“He supports it,” Blinken repeats.

He then puts the onus on the Gaza-based terror group: “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.”

Then, says Blinken, the parties have to “come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement.”

“The next important step is for Hamas to say yes,” repeats Blinken, “and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement.”

“These are still complex issues,” he says, and “they’re going to require hard decisions by the leaders.”

He emphasizes that the US is deeply committed “to getting this job done, to getting it done now.”

Blinken does not mention the toppling of Hamas’s military or civil control of Gaza, both core Israeli war aims.

“There is a deep sense of urgency for getting this done,” says Blinken, adding that is “the best way to make sure the conflict doesn’t spread, that we don’t see escalation, that we can actually defuse some of the pressure points that we see throughout the region, and then open prospects for trying to build more enduring peace and security for everyone throughout the Middle East.”

Blinken also notes that the US has deployed additional assets to the region recently “not to provoke aggression but rather to deter it, to make sure that it doesn’t happen” and “also to make clear that if it does, we are fully prepared to defend Israel.”