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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a whirlwind Middle East tour by warning that “time is running out” to achieve a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages.
But he left behind a region where a wide divide remains between Israel and Hamas, with little sign that an intensive US-led diplomatic initiative is moving closer to an agreement.
After meeting with Qatari politicians in Doha on Tuesday, Blinken reiterated that Israel supported a U.S. proposal to bridge deep differences between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian militant group. But the Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied that it has accepted the so-called “bridge proposal,” which Blinken discussed with Netanyahu during three hours of talks in Jerusalem on Monday.
Instead, Netanyahu insisted that Israel keep its troops in an area along the Gaza-Egypt border, the so-called Philadelphia Corridor – a demand that has become a major obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Hamas accused the US of pro-Israel bias and insisted that mediators stick to previous agreements based on a three-phase plan presented by President Joe Biden in May. The plan calls for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in the second phase of the agreement, which would lead to a permanent end to the war.
A diplomat briefed on the talks said the “bridge proposal” involves reducing the Israeli presence in the corridor, but details on how that might work have not been released.
Blinken told reporters in Doha that the agreement was “very clear about the timing and locations” of Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza and that “Israel has agreed to that.” He put the onus on Hamas to accept the proposal.
“I’m not going to get into the details of the agreement,” Blinken said. “But it’s set out in the agreement – an agreement that Israel has approved – and it’s specific about the locations and the timeline for the withdrawal.”
However, Netanyahu reiterated on Tuesday his commitment to seek “total victory” and not to agree to a permanent end to the war.
“First, it is about eliminating Hamas and achieving victory,” he told the families of Israeli soldiers killed in battle and some hostages. “Secondly, at the same time, we are seeking the release of the hostages, under conditions that allow for the release of as many hostages as possible in the first phase of the agreement.”
He stressed that he was not prepared to withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor “in the face of domestic and foreign pressure.”
“If we leave there, there will be enormous political pressure on us not to return there – but if we stay there, there will be no such pressure,” Netanyahu said. “That is why we will remain there physically for the foreseeable future.”
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments following their meeting on Monday, Blinken said: “I can’t say what he said. I can only say what I heard directly from him … when we spent three hours together, including … Israel’s endorsement of the bridge proposal.”
Other points of contention include Netanyahu’s demand that Israel have veto power over the release of a large proportion of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for hostages and the possibility of vetting displaced Gaza residents who want to return to the north of the besieged Gaza Strip in the event of a ceasefire.
Blinken’s visit to the region came days after the United States, Qatar and Egypt – which have been mediating the talks for months – held crucial talks with Israel’s intelligence chiefs in Doha to push for a deal.
The end of the ten-month war in Gaza and the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza are seen as crucial to calming the regional hostilities that erupted following the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s retaliatory offensive.
Tensions in the Middle East rose after Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah announced retaliation against Israel for the killing of two senior militants late last month.
After the talks in Doha, the mediators announced that there would be follow-up negotiations in Cairo before the end of the week. However, an Israeli official said it was still unclear when that meeting would take place.
“They were aiming for Wednesday or Thursday, but at the moment it is unclear,” the official said.
Blinken said “time is of the essence” in negotiating a deal because “with each passing day, the well-being and lives of the hostages are at risk.”
“Time is of the essence because every day women, children and men in Gaza suffer without access to adequate food and medicine and risk being injured or killed in fighting they did not start,” he said. “And time is of the essence because with each passing day, the risk of escalation in the region increases.”
