US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to accelerate negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a plan endorsed Monday by the United Nations Security Council.
New pressure on Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal approved Monday by the UN Security Council. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again visited the Middle East to speed up negotiations.
On Monday, Joe Biden’s envoy met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The US State Department announced that “The United States and other world leaders will support the comprehensive proposal put forward by President Biden that would lead to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and a significant and sustained increase in humanitarian aid to be distributed throughout the territory” from Gaza.
After the adoption of a resolution supporting the plan by the UN Security Council, Hamas said it welcomed the decision and was willing to work with mediators to implement it. However, the activist group has still not formally responded to the proposal it received ten days ago.
“I know there are those who are pessimistic about the outlook,” Antony Blinken told reporters before leaving Cairo for Israel, Jordan and Qatar. “It’s understandable. Hamas continues to demonstrate extraordinary cynicism in his actions, a disinterest not only in the well-being and security of Israelis but also of Palestinians.”
Pessimism increased further this weekend after the release of four Israeli hostages during a vast military operation which would have led to the death of 274 Palestinian civilians according to health authorities controlled by Hamas.
During his talks with Egyptian President Al-Sisi, the head of American diplomacy also discussed the governance and post-conflict reconstruction plans in Gaza. Netanyahu and his government have resisted calls for a “morning after” plan that would prevent Israel from having some form of security presence in the territory. Blinken said he would urge Israel to offer acceptable alternatives. “It would be very good if Israel presented its own ideas on this subject, and I will talk to the government about it”Blinken said. “But somehow we have to have these plans, we have to put them in place, we have to be ready to go if we want to enjoy a ceasefire.”
What does the peace plan currently under discussion provide for?
The three-phase plan provides for the release of more hostages And a temporary pause in hostilities which will last as long as it takes to negotiate the second phase, which aims to bring about the release of all the hostages.
This plan provides A “complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” And “a permanent end to hostilities”.
The third phase calls for reconstruction in Gaza. Although the agreement has been described as an Israeli initiative and thousands of Israelis have expressed their support, Benjamin Netanyahu has been skeptical, saying that what has been presented publicly is not accurate and that Israel is still determined to destroy Hamas. Netanyahu’s far-right allies have threatened to bring down his government if he implements the plan.
Benny Gantz, a popular centrist, resigned from the War Cabinet on Sunday to force the head of the Israeli government to accept this plan. The US Secretary of State is expected to meet again with him and Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 37,120 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, a count that does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas fighters. The armed conflict has seriously hampered the delivery of food and medicine to the Palestinians in Gaza. UN agencies say more than a million people in the territory could experience the highest level of famine by mid-July.