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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pointed to difficulties negotiating with Hamas, which the United States does not engage with directly – Copyright POOL\/AFP\/File Evelyn Hockstein<\/small><\/em><\/p>\nShaun TANDON<\/em><\/p>\nAccepting a ceasefire deal with Israel should be a \u201cno-brainer\u201d for Hamas, but the motivations of the militants\u2019 elusive Gaza-based leadership remain unclear, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.<\/p>\n
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has announced that its delegation will return Saturday to Cairo to resume long-running talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar that would temporarily halt Israel\u2019s offensive in return for freeing hostages.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wait to see whether, in effect, they can take yes for an answer on the ceasefire and release of hostages,\u201d Blinken said late Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality in this moment is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noting that the militants \u201cpurport to represent\u201d the Palestinian people, Blinken said: \u201cIf it is true, then taking the ceasefire should be a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut maybe something else is going on, and we\u2019ll have a better picture of that in the coming days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Blinken pointed to difficulties negotiating with Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist group and does not engage with directly and which Israel has vowed to eliminate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe leaders of Hamas that we\u2019re indirectly engaged with \u2014 through the Qataris, through the Egyptians \u2014 are, of course, living outside of Gaza,\u201d Blinken said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ultimate decision-makers are the folks who are actually in Gaza itself with whom none of us have direct contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blinken was addressing the McCain Institute\u2019s Sedona Forum in Arizona days after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top leaders on his latest visit to the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Ahead of his talks with Blinken, Netanyahu vowed to push ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of the outcome of truce negotiations.<\/p>\n
US President Joe Biden\u2019s administration has repeatedly warned Israel against moving on Rafah, where an estimated 1.2 million Palestinians have taken shelter.<\/p>\n
Blinken said that Israel, which counts on the United States for military and diplomatic support, has yet to present \u201ca credible plan to genuinely protect the civilians who are in harm\u2019s way\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsent such a plan, we can\u2019t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what\u2019s acceptable,\u201d Blinken said.<\/p>\n
Global criticism of the war\u2019s toll on civilians has mounted, as has pressure on the Biden administration.<\/p>\n
The war broke out after Hamas\u2019s October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.<\/p>\n
The militants also took around 250 hostages, of whom Israel estimates 128 remain in Gaza, including 35 believed to be dead.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 34,622 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory\u2019s health ministry.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Saudis want progress \u2018as soon as possible\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
Blinken on Monday held his latest meeting with Saudi Arabia\u2019s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss potential normalization with Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s made it clear that he wants to do something on normalization, and he\u2019d like to do it as soon as possible,\u201d but only if conditions are met, Blinken said.<\/p>\n
Before Hamas\u2019s October 7 attacks, Netanyahu had seen growing Arab recognition of Israel as a key legacy and Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam\u2019s two holiest sites, would be the most coveted prize.<\/p>\n
But Saudi Arabia has made clear it wants a pathway to a Palestinian state, a prospect long resisted by Netanyahu and adamantly opposed by his far-right allies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that there can be a Palestinian state with necessary security guarantees for Israel,\u201d Blinken said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd to some extent, I think you\u2019d have Israelis who would like to get to real separation. Well, that is one way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While in Saudi Arabia Blinken said that the United States was nearly ready with a set of security promises sought by the kingdom in return for normalization with Israel.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Ceasefire should be ‘no-brainer’ for Hamas, Blinken says
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#Ceasefire #nobrainer #Hamas #Blinken<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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