By Romana Rubeo 
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that ongoing negotiations might be the last chance for a ceasefire, while Hamas accused Netanyahu of obstructing progress.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in Western Jerusalem, Anadolu news agency reported.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday evening for his ninth visit to the region, aiming to advance the ongoing negotiations for a potential Gaza ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal.
His itinerary also reportedly includes a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, followed by a press conference in Tel Aviv.
Earlier on Monday, during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken warned that the ongoing ceasefire talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas might be the final opportunity to end the war.
This is “probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said, calling this a “decisive moment”.
According to Isreali media, Blinken is also set to visit Egypt on Tuesday.
Deceptive Optimism – What is Really Happening at the Gaza Ceasefire Talks (ANALYSIS)
‘Bridging Proposal’
The United States, Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement on August 16, saying that the ceasefire negotiations in Doha were “serious and constructive” and that they presented a “bridging proposal”.
No further details were disclosed. However, the statement said that the proposal, which aimed at narrowing the gaps between parties, followed the principles outlined by US President Joe Biden last May.
On May 31, Biden announced a plan that included ending hostilities in Gaza, securing the release of captives, and beginning the reconstruction of Gaza.
Despite several statements from Biden administration officials, who claimed Netanyahu and his aides supported the proposal allegedly approved by the Israeli war cabinet in late May, Netanyahu openly rejected it in last June.
‘Fully Responsible’
For its part, Hamas announced, on August 14, that it would not take part in the negotiations in Doha.
The position was reiterated in a statement on Sunday, where the Palestinian movement,
“has acted with full responsibility in response to the efforts of our brothers, the mediators in Qatar and Egypt, and with all the proposals aimed at reaching an agreement to stop the aggression against our people and to conclude a prisoner exchange deal.”
The statement also highlighted that Hamas “expressed its approval of the mediators’ proposal on 6-5-2024, welcomed President Biden’s announcement, and the contents of the UN Security Council resolution, and responded positively to the proposal presented by the mediators, which it approved on 2-7-2024.”
No More ‘Deception’ – Hamas Will Not Participate in Doha Negotiations
Moreover, after the issuance of the trilateral statement, the movement urged the mediators to present a concrete plan for implementing the proposals they had agreed upon with the movement, to prevent the negotiations from continuing in a futile cycle caused by Netanyahu’s stalling.
However, “the new proposal accommodates Netanyahu’s conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim junction, the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphia corridor.”
Therefore, the movement said that it holds
“Netanyahu fully responsible for the failure of the mediators’ efforts, the obstruction of reaching an agreement, and full responsibility for the lives of his prisoners, who are exposed to the same danger as our people due to his continued aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip.”
Continued Aggression
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,099 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,609 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
