CAIRO (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gathered with top Arab diplomats in Cairo on Thursday as U.S.-Israel relations further deteriorated over Israel’s war against Hamas, particularly its intentions to launch a major military attack. During the meeting, they discussed plans for the aftermath of the Gaza conflict. Military operation against the southern city of Rafah.
Blinken said there were hopeful signs that a cease-fire agreement could be reached in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas, while he also said that Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss ideas for the future of Gaza. Also in attendance were senior officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization, the internationally recognized organization representing the Palestinian people.
The US has submitted a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Ministers were expected to discuss ceasefire negotiations, as well as the future of Gaza, and increase the delivery of emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza by land, air and sea.
The outcome of the meeting was not immediately clear, but Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry were scheduled to take questions from reporters after sunset, when Muslims end their daytime fasting to observe the holy month of Ramadan. Ta.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, in an earlier meeting with Prime Minister Blinken, stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and warned that the Israeli attack in Rafah would result in warned of “dangerous effects.”
The statement said both sides once again rejected the forced evacuation of Gazans and agreed on the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center) walks to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Cairo, Egypt. (Evelyn Hochstein/Pool Photo via AP)
As Prime Minister Blinken and Arab ministers met, the Gaza Health Ministry put the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at nearly 32,000 since October, when the war began in response to deadly Israeli attacks on Hamas territory. increased to UN officials also warned of “imminent” famine in northern Gaza.
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the first stop of his sixth Middle East emergency mission since the start of the war, Blinken said on Wednesday that there was a “rift” in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over another ceasefire agreed by the United States and Egypt and the release of hostages. is shrinking,” he said. And Qatar spent weeks mediating.
Blinken said in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hadas Network on Wednesday that the mediators would work with Israel to put a “strong offer” on the table. He said Hamas has rejected this but has made other demands that mediators are working on.
“I think the gap is closing and there is a good chance of an agreement,” Blinken said. Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel on Friday and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office announced Thursday that the Mossad intelligence chief will return to Qatar on Friday to meet with the CIA director and other key mediators as part of ongoing ceasefire negotiations. The office announced on Thursday that Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief would also take part in the talks.
But growing disagreements between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden over the war effort are likely to overshadow Blinken’s talks in Israel. Most notably, the two countries are at odds over Israel’s determination to launch a major military operation in Rafah. More than a million Palestinians in Rafah are seeking refuge from Israel’s devastating ground and air attacks further north.
The US is calling for a swift vote on a newly amended and tougher UN resolution calling for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. . U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said he hoped a vote would take place by the end of this week.
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Republican senators for about 45 minutes on Wednesday, promising to ignore warnings about Operation Rafah. Also targeted was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call last week for new elections in Israel in a speech in which he denounced the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip and later said Biden was “good.” did.
According to senators who took part in the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Israel’s progress on Rafah. Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said Netanyahu “has made it very clear that he and the people of Israel intend to fight the war with all their might and will not be at the mercy of Sen. Schumer or President Biden.” Stated. ”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to enter Rafah has alarmed the United States and others, who say without a credible plan to evacuate civilians, there will be an even bigger humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. U.S. officials said they had not yet seen such a plan and were ready to present alternatives to an all-out assault on the city.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also rejected repeated rebukes from the Biden administration that Israel’s long-term security cannot be guaranteed without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
A clear path and deadline for establishing a Palestinian state is a key requirement for Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to normalize relations with Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu is keen to achieve that. Mr. Blinken spent much time in Jeddah with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, discussing the normalization process, which also includes the U.S.-Saudi agreement.
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Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu held a phone call on Monday, amid tensions after a month of no conversations, during which Netanyahu agreed to send a team of experts to Washington to discuss Rafah’s plans. did. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also scheduled to make a separate visit to Washington next week.
The war began after Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted another 250 in the Oct. 7 Gaza raid that triggered the war. Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 people hostage and 30 other bodies.
