"The challenge, of course, is with every passing day, there's the risk of an intervening event that sets you back and makes things more difficult. But I'm convinced, based on what's on paper, what's already been agreed, that we're close, but does that mean that we'll get there? No, because there remain hard issues," he said, adding that in the end, one decision or another will have to be made.
According to Blinken, the issue at hand is not about increasing pressure on Israel or the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, but about both sides recognizing that an agreement is in their interest. The top US diplomat also emphasized that the US cannot force the Israeli leadership to agree to the proposed terms, but will continue to try to convince it of the wisdom of such a step.
On August 15 and 16, Doha hosted talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas. A joint statement by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States following the talks said they had taken place in a positive atmosphere. However, subsequent rounds of talks in Cairo and Doha on August 25 and 28 were unsuccessful. According to Blinken, the Gaza ceasefire agreement is 90% agreed upon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that all obstacles to the negotiating process are caused by Hamas representatives. The Palestinian side says that unacceptable conditions are being put forward by Israeli negotiators.
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