by D. Michael DeRidder
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel today, his ninth visit since the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023. Blinken met with Israeli leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
During a three-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken discussed the war in Gaza, as well as ongoing hostage and peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas. After the meeting, Blinken said Netanyahu has agreed to a proposal, telling reporters in Tel Aviv:
In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal…. It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.
During a press conference with Herzog, Blinken emphasized the urgency of the hostage situation, stating the opportunity to negotiate a peace agreement and return of hostages is closing:
Well, Mr. President, thank you very much. It’s always good to be with you and good to be back in Israel. This is my ninth visit since October 7th to Israel, to the Middle East. And this is a decisive moment — probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.
Blinken also said the purpose of his visit was to mediate a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas on behalf of President Biden:
I’m here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort on President Biden’s instructions to try to get this agreement to the line and, ultimately, over the line. It is time for it to get done…. But the focus of my visit is intensely on getting the hostages back, getting the ceasefire done. It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no.
In a statement about his meeting with Blinken, Gallant said the Israel Defense Forces would continue to put military pressure on Hamas, and urged the United States to lead political pressure on Hamas, stating on X:
I hosted the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in my office and emphasized to him – as Israel is leading military pressure on Hamas — that the US should lead the political pressure, until an outline is reached for the return of the abductees.
