US says it rejects ongoing IDF presence in Philadelphi Corridor, urges flexibility in talks
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the US has “made very clear what we believe about the possibility of an ongoing Israeli presence in Gaza — that we [are] opposed to it.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared yesterday that Israel will not leave the Egypt-Gaza border stretch for the foreseeable future.
Reiterating what White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said early, Miller asserts that Israel agreed to a bridging proposal that requires it to withdraw in the first phase from heavily populated areas in Gaza, including those that lie along the Philadelphi Corridor.
However, Miller later explains that accepting the bridging proposal doesn’t amount to accepting its implementation.
“The bridging proposal [isn’t] the end of the road. There are a number of implementing details that we need to reach agreement on,” he says, following White House spokesperson John Kirby in ceasing to characterize the bridging proposal that the US submitted last month as a “final” offer.
He says the US will continue engaging partners in the region “over the coming days” to reach a final agreement, insisting that progress was made during talks last week, while noting that details on various parts of the agreement still need to be worked out.
“Ultimately, finalizing an agreement will require both sides to show flexibility. It will require that both sides look for reasons to get to ‘yes’ rather than reasons to say ‘no,'” he adds.
The spokesperson admits that hostage negotiations aren’t currently taking place but clarifies that the work toward an agreement is ongoing.
He reiterates US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s declaration last month that Israel has accepted the US bridging proposal and stresses that Hamas still must do the same.
