US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells Hamas it is ‘time for the horse-trading to stop’ after its leaders proposed ‘many changes’ to Gaza ceasefire plan and deal release of the hostages.
He told reporters in Doha that some changes were “feasible” and others were not, but that the United States and the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, would “try to get this deal done.”
Hamas said Tuesday it was ready to “treat positively” the process, but stressed the need for Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza.
The Israeli government did not comment, but an anonymous official said the Palestinian armed group’s response amounted to a rejection.
Israel’s prime minister has yet to publicly endorse the proposal, which U.S. President Joe Biden said was proposed by the country when he presented it 12 days ago.
But Mr Blinken said Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.
The UN Security Council also adopted a resolution that day supporting the proposal, increasing diplomatic pressure from Washington.
The BBC is part of the traveling press corps covering the US secretary of state’s visit to Qatar – a glittering Gulf country that belies the sense of regional crisis he is trying to resolve with a diplomatic tour moving at breakneck speed.
There were hugs and smiles. Mr. Blinken met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
His country is a key player in this crisis, having hosted Hamas political offices for more than a decade and acting as a conduit for negotiations with Israel.
Mr. Blinken appeared exasperated when he told a joint news conference that they had discussed Hamas’s requested changes to the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.
“An agreement was on the table, virtually identical to a proposal that Hamas proposed May 6 – an agreement supported by the whole world, which Israel accepted, and to which Hamas could have responded with a single word: ‘yes'”, he declared.
“Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed further changes, a number of which went beyond the positions it had previously taken and accepted. As a result, the war that Hamas has been triggered… will continue, more people will suffer, more Palestinians will suffer, more Israelis will suffer.”
Mr. Blinken did not specify what changes he said Hamas was demanding, nor did a brief statement issued by the group itself Tuesday evening.
The statement, however, reiterates the demand for what Hamas calls “a complete halt to the ongoing aggression against Gaza” and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
A member of Hamas’ political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said the response was “responsible, serious and positive” and opened “a broad path” to reaching an agreement.
The Israeli prime minister’s office has not issued an official response.
But a statement was issued by an unnamed Israeli official, who said Hamas had “changed all the main and most significant parameters” and “rejected the hostage release proposal presented by President Biden.”
Despite the setbacks, Blinken said the United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, would “try to get this deal done.”
“I believe these gaps can be bridged. But that doesn’t mean they will be because, ultimately, Hamas must decide.”
Sheikh Mohammed said Hamas and Israel had to make certain concessions.
“We are seeing a change in this conflict in recent times and there is a clear and strong call to end this war,” he noted.
Blinken also said it was crucial to develop plans for the “aftermath of the conflict” in Gaza as soon as possible to achieve a lasting end to the war.
“In the coming weeks, we will present proposals on key elements of a ‘plan for tomorrow’, including concrete ideas on how to manage governance, security and reconstruction,” he added. .
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
Since then, more than 37,200 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
A deal reached in November allowed Hamas to release 105 hostages in exchange for a one-week ceasefire and some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 116 hostages remain held, 41 of whom are presumed dead.
Mr. Biden said the new proposal had three phases.
The first would involve an initial six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas would release some of the hostages – including women, the elderly and the sick or wounded – in exchange for Israel’s release of an unspecified number Palestinian prisoners. There would also be a withdrawal of Israeli forces “from all populated areas of Gaza” and an “increase” in humanitarian aid.
The second phase would see the release of all hostages still alive and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza as part of a “final cessation of hostilities”, but the latter would still be subject to further negotiations.
In the third phase, the remains of the dead hostages would be returned and a massive plan to rebuild Gaza would begin.
While the White House is actually trying to move the parties toward a deal, Israeli leaders remain deeply skeptical about it.
Far-right ministers are pressuring Mr Netanyahu to ignore Washington’s diplomacy and have threatened to leave his governing coalition and cause its collapse if the US-backed proposal goes ahead, including seeing a capitulation to Hamas.
The prime minister did not unequivocally express his support for the plan, which he acknowledged had been authorized by his war cabinet.
The actual Israeli proposal – which would be longer than the summary presented by Mr Biden – has not been made public and it is unclear whether it differs from what the president has conveyed. It was presented to Hamas a few days before Mr. Biden’s speech.
