U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the cease-fire for hostages deal is attainable. "I think it will be achieved, doesn’t mean it will be done, but it can be and it should be, Blinken said. "We’ve seen virtually the entire world come together in support of that proposal.”
Speaking at the Brookings Institution, Blinken said it was true that one individual, "likely buried hundreds of feet underground in Gaza, has the decision-making power to say yes or no. What I can’t answer for you is will he get to yes [sic]. The world is looking for it. The world is asking for it. The world is demanding it,” he said.
Speaking about the next phase of the war in Gaza the secretary said that although Israel said it intended to reduce its operations there significantly, it remains to be seen if that in fact happens. "We do know this: One way or another, when this conflict ends, it cannot and must not end with a vacuum in Gaza. It has to end in a way that makes sure that there are clear, coherent, achievable plans for Gaza’s governance, for its security, and of course to start to help people to rebuild their lives that have been so decimated and destroyed.”
Blinken said a primary objective of the Biden administration from the start of the war so to make sure the conflict did not escalate to a regional war. "I think you have a paradox in this moment, which is that at least in our judgement none of the main actors actually want a war. Israel doesn’t want a war, Lebanon certainly doesn’t want a war,” he said.
“I don’t believe that Iran wants a war, in part because it wants to make sure that Hizballah’s not destroyed and that it can hold onto Hizballah as a card if it needs it, if it ever gets into a direct conflict with Israel. So on the one hand, no one actually wants a war,” Blinken said.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Antony Blinken in Israel
(Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry)
“On the other hand, you have forces – momentum that may be leading in that direction and which we are determined to try to arrest. 60,000 or so Israelis have been forced from their homes in northern Israel. Israel has effectively lost sovereignty in the northern quadrant of its country because people don’t feel safe to go to their homes,” he added.
“The United States has been deeply engaged in trying to advance this diplomacy, but it also underscores why a ceasefire in Gaza is so critical. Hezbollah, of course, has tied what it’s doing to the situation in Gaza and has said that if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza, it will stop firing into Israel.”