US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel for a trip focused on bridging the significant gaps between Israel and Hamas on a US-sponsored ceasefire proposal aimed at ending 10 months of fighting in the devastated Gaza Strip.
A senior State Department official said Blinken will hold meetings on Monday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Blinken will travel to Egypt on Tuesday.
US negotiators, led by CIA Director William J. Burns, presented a “bridging” proposal to both parties on Friday, announcing the goal of concluding the negotiations as soon as this week. But serious doubts remain.
Hamas officials dismissed US President Joe Biden’s claim the talks were close to a conclusion, telling reporters on Saturday that was an “illusion”, and on Sunday they again accused Israel of shifting the terms of previously agreed-upon negotiations - an accusation Netanyahu levelled at Hamas as well.
The deal supported by the United States and mediating partners Qatar and Egypt includes a six-week ceasefire, the release of scores of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from major population centres in Gaza.
Key sticking points have been Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza and the establishment of checkpoints to inspect Palestinians seeking to return to their homes in northern Gaza, according to diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details. There are also unresolved issues related to the roster of Palestinian detainees Israel will agree to release.
On Sunday, Netanyahu’s office insisted Israel would continue to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor as a security precaution and said the Prime Minister was continuing to work on advancing a deal.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas accused Netanyahu of procrastinating and placing obstacles in the way of an agreement, which the group said was “a strategy” to “prolong the war”.
A senior Hamas official said the “bridging” proposal calls for a reduction of the Israeli military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, rather than a full Israeli withdrawal, and includes a plan for the Rafah crossing linking Gaza with Egypt to be administered by the Palestinian Authority under Israeli supervision. The Hamas official cautioned many details were still under discussion and would not comment on whether the group would accept such terms. He, like others, summarised the proposal on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to share the information with the media.
During a refuelling stop en route to Tel Aviv, a senior State Department official acknowledged the remaining gaps but said there is a strong belief within the Biden administration that the discrepancies are “bridgeable”.
An Israeli official declined to comment on the substance of the talks. Netanyahu, speaking to his cabinet on Sunday, said, “There are things we can be flexible about, and there are things we can’t be flexible about - and we insist on them,” he said. “We know very well how to differentiate between the two.”
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Blinken will push hard for the conclusion of the deal, which “would achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages, ensure humanitarian assistance is distributed throughout Gaza, and create the conditions for broader regional stability”.
Even if a deal is reached, there are widespread doubts it would lead to the end of the war in Gaza because of ambiguities in its language. After Hamas releases most of the hostages in its possession in the first six weeks of the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas would enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. But if Israel determines those talks have collapsed, it could resume its military operations in Gaza, said diplomats familiar with the deal.
Hanging over the negotiations is the threat Iran and Hezbollah will attack Israel for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon, which they have blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in Haniyeh’s killing - though it privately told US officials it was responsible.
Blinken will “underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalise an agreement”, Patel said.
Blinken arrives in Israel just as his British and French counterparts leave the country after warning about the risks of a full-scale regional war. “One miscalculation, and the situation risks spiralling into an even deeper and more intractable conflict,” British Foreign Minister David Lammy and his French counterpart, Stephane Sejourne, wrote in an op-ed in the Observer.
The visit was a rarity for the two European powers, which had not conducted a joint trip since 2011 amid a downturn in relations following Britain’s exit from the European Union. While pressing a message in harmony with Washington’s efforts for the swift adoption of a ceasefire deal, the top diplomats also expressed concern about growing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, which Lammy called “abhorrent” in a news conference on Friday.
Here’s what else to know
The conflict is nearing its seventh day.