Blinken says 'time to act is now' for Hamas to accept cease-fire deal

By VOA News April 30, 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a proposed cease-fire deal in its conflict with Israel, saying that there are "no more excuses" and "the time to act is now."

"Our focus right now is on getting a cease-fire and hostages home. That is the most urgent thing, and it's also I think what is achievable because the Israelis have put a strong proposal on the table. They've demonstrated that they're willing to compromise, and now it's on Hamas," Blinken told reporters as he wrapped up a visit to Jordan.

He also stressed the importance of getting more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"This has been part of our work every single day. It's also been the focus of every single one of my trips to the region," Blinken said, adding that he will discuss the issue when he holds meetings in Israel on Wednesday.

Earlier, the top U.S. diplomat held separate talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II before meeting with Sigrid Kaag, U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

Blinken thanked Abdullah for Jordan's leadership in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, including joint U.S.-Jordan airdrops that to date have delivered over 1,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The two leaders discussed joint efforts to expedite the flow of additional urgently needed aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes. Blinken also commended the king's commitment to economic modernization and vital public sector reforms.

Later on Tuesday, Blinken met with Palestinians from Gaza at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs before meeting with Kaag. Blinken told Kaag he was anxious to hear directly from her, adding, "The entire team is doing extraordinary work to ensure that people in Gaza get the help and support and the assistance they need."

Israel declared war on Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages.

Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, a figure that Israel says includes several thousand Hamas fighters.

A delegation from Hamas participated in talks Monday in Egypt, which with Qatar has been seeking to broker a deal that would halt the Israeli offensive and see hostages freed.

U.S., Saudi talks

In Riyadh earlier this week Blinken said the United States is close to finishing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia that would be offered if the country makes peace with Israel.

"The work that Saudi Arabia, the United States have been doing together in terms of our own agreements, I think, is potentially very close to completion," Blinken told an audience at the World Economic Forum on Monday.

He said the two nations have done intensive work over the last month on Israeli-Saudi normalization.

Blinken disclosed that he was scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 10 last year to focus specifically on the Palestinian part of the normalization deal because that is an essential component. But it did not happen because of the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

"In order to move forward with normalization, two things will be required: calm in Gaza and a credible pathway to a Palestinian state," Blinken said.

U.S. officials have said creating a pathway to a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel is key to lasting peace and security in the Middle East and to Israel's integration in the region.

The Saudis have demanded, as a prerequisite, to see an Israeli commitment to the two-state solution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution and the return of the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza, demands that are widely supported by the international community.

Nimrod Goren, a senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute, told VOA in an email, "Saudi Arabia has been gradually opening towards Israel for a decade. Significant progress was made in the months prior to the Hamas attack of October 7, with the hope of linking an Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement to a pre-presidential election, U.S.-Saudi defense pact. The war stalled the process, but talks are continuing and are at a decisive phase."

If Netanyahu's opposition to the two-state solution remains unchanged, Goren said, he might struggle to secure normalization with Saudi Arabia.

VOA's Cindy Saine contributed to this report.