The White House has denied that talks in Cairo on a Gaza truce are headed for failure, saying instead that “progress has been made”.
“Going forward we need the two sides to meet and work to implement” an agreement, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
CIA Director William Burns, as well as senior diplomat Brett McGurk, the White House’s Middle East envoy, are in Egypt for the talks, John Kirby confirmed.
“The initial talks we had in Cairo last night were constructive. So we want to see the same momentum continue over the next two weeks,” he said.
Information in the press that speaks of discussions “that tend to fail” is inaccurate, he stressed.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to the Middle East this week and claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “confirmed to him that Israel accepts Washington’s compromise plan” for a truce in the Gaza Strip after more than 10 months of conflict, saying that it is now “up to” Hamas to “do the same”.
John Kirby said today that the United States continues to believe that Netanyahu has accepted that offer, despite the fact that the Israeli prime minister insists on the presence of Israeli troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt, a point of contention at the same time with Washington and Cairo.
The US representative again urged Hamas to accept the proposal put forward last week during talks in Qatar.
“Consider that this deal will be made for the people of Gaza. This gives them a period of calm and a possible end to war, and violence and bloodshed,” he said.
“This also gives them – because of the end of the fighting – an incredible opportunity for all of us, and I mean all of us, including the United States to significantly increase the humanitarian aid coming in” to Gaza, the spokesman said.
Kirby reiterated Washington’s support for Israel over potential threats from Iran, saying the focus is on defense and securing a deal.
Washington “continues to monitor every possible attack by Iran every day,” he said, adding “we haven’t seen an attack yet, obviously, but we’re not taking anything for granted.”
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