While in Israel to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Monday that current talks represented “possibly the last” opportunity to come to a peace settlement. As he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken stated, “This is a decisive moment—probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.”
According to the top US diplomat, he was sent “to get this agreement to the queue and ultimately over the queue” by President Joe Biden. “It needs to be finished now. Additionally, it’s critical to ensure that no action is taken that might sabotage this process, Blinken stated. “We’re working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could move us away from getting this deal over the line, or, for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places, and to greater intensity.”
Blinken is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Monday. This is his ninth trip to the Middle East following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. In response to threats from Iran and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah to avenge the recent killings of two leaders, the visiting secretary of state described the situation as “fraught moment” in Israel and cautioned against any actions that could heighten regional tensions.
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