On his most recent trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Blinken came with a simple but urgent message: “We need to get the ceasefire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now.”
“Time is of the essence because with every passing day the well-being and lives of the hostages are in jeopardy,” stressed Secretary Blinken in remarks to the press in Qatar:
“Time is of the essence because every single day women, children, men in Gaza are suffering without access to adequate food, medicine, and at risk of being wounded or dying in fighting that they didn’t start and they cannot stop. And time is of the essence because with every passing day there’s the danger of escalation in the region.”
The United Sates is working with Egypt and with Qatar to prevent escalation by sending the necessary messages to all of the potential actors, including Iran and Hezbollah, to avoid taking any steps that could escalate the conflict or spread it. And Qatar and Egypt in particular are in direct contact with Hamas, working to conclude this peace agreement.
President Joe Biden put out a detailed plan for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in May, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council. Israel has now accepted that proposal and “we hope and expect that Hamas will do the same,” said Secretary Blinken.
“This [ceasefire] needs to get done and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line,” stressed Secretary Blinken.
“It’s the key to helping make sure that we can take down the temperature in the Red Sea with the Houthis. It’s the key to seeing if we can pursue a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which both countries remain very interested in. It’s the key to actually putting everyone, starting with Israel, on a path to greater peace and security. And of course, it’s key to getting the hostages home.”
“There are Americans who remain hostage in Gaza,” said Secretary Blinken. “And I was very clear about the American interest in making sure that our people come home to their families and that the remains of those who perished are brought back.”
