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The US mentioned it had made progress in direction of a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal on Monday, saying Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a “bridging proposal” that aimed to resolve variations between Israel and Hamas.
Antony Blinken’s upbeat evaluation got here after the US secretary of state held three hours of talks with the Israeli prime minister in a bid to advance long-stagnant negotiations aimed toward ending the 10-month conflict in Gaza and securing the discharge of greater than 100 Israeli hostages.
Talking after conferences that he described as “possibly the final alternative” to keep away from a regional escalation, Blinken mentioned Netanyahu had given him vital assurances after a “very constructive assembly”.
“[Netanyahu] confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he helps it,” Blinken mentioned. “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the identical . . . The subsequent vital step is for Hamas to say sure.”
Blinken’s go to to the area comes three days after the US, Qatar and Egypt set out a proposal at talks in Doha aimed toward finalising a three-stage deal that goals to halt the combating and launch the hostages. The small print of their so-called bridging proposal haven’t been made public.
Hamas has accused Netanyahu of searching for to sabotage the deal after he added new situations to a proposal the militant group favoured in July that was based mostly on a plan endorsed by US President Joe Biden.
The group mentioned the proposal put ahead by the mediators in Doha final week contained modifications that took account of Israeli calls for however not of Hamas’s and did “not enable for reaching an settlement”.
After Blinken’s remarks, Netanyahu issued an announcement thanking the US for its “understanding” of Israel’s place. However he additionally emphasised one other current demand: that the utmost variety of “dwelling hostages” be launched “already within the first stage of the deal”.
There was no reference to Israel accepting the bridging proposal.
The US has beforehand expressed optimism over an imminent breakthrough, solely to have them stall amid persistent variations between the 2 which have been at conflict since Hamas’s October 7 assault.
Blinken mentioned follow-on talks would proceed forward of one other anticipated assembly in Cairo later this week.
He added that each Israel and Hamas, in the event that they have been to agree, would “have to return collectively [via the mediators] and full the method of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made below this settlement”.
The constructive notice that Blinken struck on his ninth go to to the area since October 7 got here as a shock, after each Netanyahu and Hamas had appeared to stiffen their respective positions on Sunday.
Earlier than Blinken’s assembly with Netanyahu, folks briefed on talks mentioned that mediators have been at greatest cautiously optimistic concerning the probabilities of progress, with the Israeli prime minister seemingly refusing to melt his calls for.
It was not clear if Netanyahu watered down his situations in his talks with Blinken.
One of many predominant sticking factors has been Netanyahu’s insistence that Israel wouldn’t withdraw from the Gaza-Egypt border space generally known as the Philadelphi hall, together with different calls for launched in current weeks.
Netanyahu’s situations differed from a draft plan unveiled by Biden in late Might, which was initially endorsed by Israel and envisaged Israeli forces withdrawing from populated areas of Gaza within the first stage of the settlement and fully within the second stage.
Egypt, one of many mediators, additionally opposes Israel maintaining forces alongside the Philadelphi hall, in line with diplomats. On Sunday, Netanyahu mentioned Israel was conducting negotiations and “not a situation wherein we simply give and provides”.
The US and its allies have intensified stress on each Israel and Hamas to get a deal over the road within the hope of stopping the Gaza conflict from spiralling right into a full-blown regional battle.
However Netanyahu additionally faces stress from far-right allies in his governing coalition to not finish the conflict towards Hamas or make concessions to the Palestinians.
Regional tensions have soared after Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hizbollah pledged to retaliate towards Israel for the assassinations of two senior militants late final month.
Throughout his journey, Blinken highlighted the massive build-up of US forces within the area to discourage Iran and Hizbollah and defend Israel whether it is attacked.
Blinken mentioned there’s “an actual sense of urgency” in Israel and throughout the area on “the necessity to get this over the end line and to do it as quickly as doable”.
