On Monday, Blinken flies to the Middle East for a three-day trip.
In the midst of working towards a new peace pact between Israel and the extremist group Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the Middle East for a three-day trip. As mentioned by the US State Department, Blinken's itinerary includes stops in Israel and other significant partners - Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar - from Monday to Wednesday.
Having accompanied US President Joe Biden at celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion in Normandy, Blinken will be departing France for the Middle East. While visiting Jordan, Blinken is set to join a conference on humanitarian aid towards the Gaza Strip, overseen by the United Nations.
During the discussions, Blinken will stress the importance of accepting the current peace proposal, according to Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson. He will also consider how this proposal, which aims to negotiate an arms truce, could benefit both Israeli and Palestinian citizens. Miller pointed out that such a peace plan would lessen the hardships in the Gaza Strip, pave the way for a substantial increase in humanitarian assistance, and grant Palestinians the chance to return home.
This "almost identical" proposal to the one previously endorsed by Hamas last month, Miller said. Additionally, Blinken aims to explore ways to establish peace along Israel's northern border, where tensions with the Islamist Hezbollah militia in Lebanon have been worsening.
The US, Egypt, and Qatar have all been striving to negotiate a deal between Israel and Hamas for months to no avail. The only notable agreement achieved by these nations was at the end of November, during a short-term ceasefire when over a hundred hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
To reignite negotiations, US President Biden presented a fresh three-stage plan to Israel last week. The proposal included a 6-week period of total weapons truce, Israeli troop withdrawal from all residential districts in the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of hostages for freeing several hundred Palestinian prisoners. Over this period, Israeli and Hamas representatives would negotiate an enduring ceasefire.
Hamas' reaction to the proposal remains undisclosed. A spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry relayed to the country's state news agency that Hamas is currently mulling over the plan. Qatar introduced the proposal to Hamas.
