US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his last Middle East trip after Israel rejected the proposed ceasefire plan for Gaza.
Blinken was conducting shuttle diplomacy in the region, where he visited for the fifth time to discuss a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 135-day three-phase ceasefire plan presented by Hamas.
Blinken left the Middle East empty-handed, with differences between Washington and Tel Aviv at their worst level since the war that started on October 7.
According to AP’s analysis, Blinken, who ended his Middle East trip covering four countries, returned to Washington “after being slapped” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the war would continue until Israel was completely victorious and that he clearly rejected the proposed ceasefire plan.
Relations between Israel and its biggest supporter and ally, the United States, have been tense for months.
However, Netanyahu’s rejection of the plan in front of the international community, which he stated that the US found ‘valuable’ at least as a starting point for further negotiations, further increased the division.
According to AP, Netanyahu ignored the concerns of the United States and other (Western) countries and announced that they would expand their military operations against the Rafah district in the south of Gaza, on the Egyptian border, where more than a million Palestinians fled.
This announcement was made on the exact day and time when the US minister was in the region for a ceasefire.
Blinken: Ceasefire still possible
In his statement yesterday, Minister Blinken evaluated that a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between the parties is still possible, even though Israel and Hamas are far apart on the basic terms.
As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its fifth month, more than 27 thousand Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands of people have been injured in Israel’s attacks on the city. Almost the entire population of Gaza was displaced.
Blinken was in the region for the fifth time to mediate a possible agreement.
Hamas’s three-phase ceasefire plan, which would last 135 days, envisaged the release of all Israeli hostages and an end to the war, as opposed to Palestinian detainees, including senior Palestinians such as Marwan Barghouti.
Describing the plan in question as “fantasy”, Netanyahu rejected any proposal that would leave this group in full or partial control of Gaza.
However, Blinken described Netanyahu’s stance as “part of the difficult negotiation process” and said, “This is not flipping a light switch. It is not yes or no. There is always back and forth.” He tried to soften his words.
Likewise, Blinken pointed out that it was necessary to evaluate the counter proposal from Hamas.
According to regional experts, Netanyahu’s attitude failed Blinken’s diplomatic efforts.
