Blinken Urges End to Negotiations as Hamas Seeks Modifications to Gaza Ceasefire Plan
Negotiations continue as the secretary of state presses Hamas to accept a three-part proposal to bring a halt to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his frustration on Wednesday over the changes Hamas has requested to a new ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Blinken, along with other members of President Joe Biden’s administration, has been urging Hamas—recognized as a terrorist group by both the United States and Israel—to agree to the three-part proposal in order to put an end to the hostilities that have been ongoing for over eight months in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table. We discussed those changes last night with Egyptian colleagues and today with the prime minister,” Mr. Blinken said. “Some of the changes are workable, some are not.”
Mr. Blinken emphasized that the ceasefire proposal closely mirrored terms that Hamas had previously endorsed as recently as May 6.
“Hamas could have responded with a simple ‘yes’. Instead, they waited almost two weeks and then suggested further changes, some of which diverge from positions they had previously agreed to,” Mr. Blinken continued, stating that these new changes mean that the conflict in the Gaza Strip will persist for the time being.
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Despite the apparent new developments in the ceasefire talks, Mr. Blinken stated that the Biden administration, in conjunction with counterparts in Qatar and Egypt, will continue working urgently to finalize a ceasefire agreement.
At the press conference, a journalist inquired whether the changes Hamas had requested in the ceasefire plan constituted a flat-out rejection of the proposal. While Mr. Blinken avoided directly labeling Hamas’ response as a rejection, he indicated, “At some point in a negotiation … you reach a stage where if one side persistently alters its demands, including making demands and insisting on changes to previously agreed terms, the sincerity of their intentions comes into question.” The secretary of state stressed that while some changes requested by Hamas were feasible, he emphasized the need for “the bargaining to cease and a ceasefire to commence.”
During the press conference, Mr. Blinken refrained from articulating the specific changes sought by Hamas in the ceasefire proposal.
“I’m not going to, obviously, characterize or describe what they’re looking for,” he stated. “All I can tell you, after discussing this with our colleagues, is that we believe that some of the requested changes are viable, while some are not.”
“I have not heard that specific Hamas request today. Obviously, this is a rapidly evolving situation. Additionally, there are various voices within Hamas. Therefore, we will await further consultations with Egypt and Qatar, who communicate with Hamas through an authoritative channel,” Mr. Sullivan conveyed.
He declined to answer other questions on Wednesday regarding the precise changes requested by Hamas negotiators but reiterated that President Biden had foreseen some back-and-forth negotiations when he initially unveiled the ceasefire plan last month.
“I would like to highlight that, in his remarks on May 31st, the President anticipated that Hamas would respond, suggest changes, and emphasized the importance of all parties continuing discussions until an agreement is reached. That’s the approach we are reaffirming today,” Mr. Sullivan added.
