Speaking to Israeli reporters, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Netanyahu had “accepted” the plan that the White House, in collaboration with officials from Qatar and Egypt, had presented last week in an effort to “bridge the gaps” between the opposing sides.
“He’s in favor of it,” Blinken stated. “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.”
“The parties – with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement.
Blinken did not elaborate on the contents of the plan, and Netanyahu has not formally accepted a cease-fire as of yet.
Before the war can be genuinely deemed to be over, Blinken stated that both Hamas and Jerusalem had “complex issues” that will “require hard decisions”.
“But there is, I think, a real sense of urgency here across the region on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible,” Blinken said. “The United States has a strong commitment to finishing this task as soon as possible.
