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After Hamas rejected the bridging proposal presented by the United States at the end of the latest round of talks in Doha, the chances of a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip soon have become very slim read more
 "As Blinken makes last-ditch efforts for Gaza deal, Netanyahu says Israel agrees with US proposal")
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu held talks (Photo: X/Israeli Embassy Jerusalem)
Amid warning by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that there just remained one last chance to strike a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel agrees with the latest US proposal on the table.
Netanyahu’s remark comes even as it’s his insertion of new demands in the original proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden in May that compromised the talks and led to the current statement.
Following the two-day summit in Doha last week, the United States floated a new proposal to bridge the gaps between the positions of Israel and Hamas. Even as the United States along with mediators Qatar and Egypt said the talks went well and that they expected a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages by the end of this week, Hamas on Sunday rejected the bridging proposal.
In a statement carried by Axios, Hamas said the bridging proposal repeated the new demands of Israel and was aligned with Netanyahu’s position.
“After being briefed by the mediators about what happened in the last round of talks in Doha, we once again came to the conclusion that Netanyahu is still putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement, and is setting new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators’ efforts and prolonging the war,” said Hamas in a statement.
Following a meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu said that Israel remained committed to the proposal and that Israeli negotiators would travel to Cairo later this week for the next round of talks.
Netanyahu & Blinken hold ‘positive’ meeting
In a statement following their meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) described it as “positive”.
The PMO said Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel remained committed to the latest bridging proposal.
“The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” said the PMO.
The meeting lasted approximately three hours. The Prime Minister reiterated Israel's commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel's security needs, which he strongly insists on.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 19, 2024During the meeting, Netanyahu also told Blinken that the Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo for the next round of talks, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli delegation will be headed by external intelligence Mossad’s chief David Barnea and will also comprise internal intelligence agency Shin Bet’s head Ronen Bar, and military’s hostage pointman Nitzan Alon.
Even as Hamas has rejected the bridging proposal, Barak Ravid of Axios reported that Blinken has made it clear to Netanyahu that the United States expects the talks to continue.
המקור שמעורה בפרטים אמר שבלינקן הבהיר לנתניהו כי ארה״ב מצפה שהמו״מ ימשיך להתקדם לעבר עסקה. המקור ציין שבלינקן ונתניהו שוחחו על כמה מהנושאים שקשורים לעסקת החטופים ושנדונים כעת ע״י צוותי העבודה בדוחא ובקהיר https://t.co/jc6McTuYPQ
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 19, 2024Separately, the newspaper also reported that a mid-level delegation of the negotiating team has returned from Cairo. Their visit will be followed by the top delegation later this week.
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English (US) ·