The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas remains the “only obstacle between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” with Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
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“We’re waiting to see if, really, they can agree to say yes to the ceasefire and the release of the hostages,” Blinken said at the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum in Arizona. . “The reality right now is that the only obstacle between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas,” he added.
Israel and the mediating countries are still awaiting a response from the Islamist movement to a proposal for a 40-day truce associated with the release of hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
A delegation is heading to Cairo on Saturday to continue discussions.
Noting that Hamas militants “claim to represent” the Palestinian people, Mr. Blinken assured that “if this is true, acceptance of a ceasefire should be obvious.”
The American Secretary of State also estimated that an Israeli attack on Rafah, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip where more than a million Palestinians displaced by the war are crowded, would cause damage “beyond the acceptable”.
According to Mr. Blinken, Israel has not presented any plan to protect civilians during this possible attack. “In the absence of such a plan, we cannot support a large-scale military operation in Rafah, because the damage it would cause would be beyond what is acceptable,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Thursday his intention to launch an offensive in Rafah “with or without an agreement” of truce. “We will do what is necessary to win and defeat our enemy, including in Rafah,” he said.
Mr. Blinken, who visited Saudi Arabia on Monday, also said that the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, could initiate discussions on possible normalization of relations with Israel.
“He has made it clear that he wants to do something on normalization and that he would like to do it as quickly as possible,” but only if the conditions are met, assured the American Secretary of State.
Riyadh wants the establishment of a process leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, a scenario rejected by the Israeli prime minister and his far-right allies.
