Israeli sources have accused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of sabotaging negotiations on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in Gaza. Blinken claimed that Netanyahu had accepted the US offer and said that ‘the ball is now in Hamas’s court’. According to sources, Blinken painted an optimistic picture of the ceasefire through ‘speculation’ in order to ensure the smooth running of the Democratic convention in Chicago.
Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying: “Blinken made a serious mistake when he said that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu had accepted the US offer and that the ball was now in Hamas’ court. He (Blinken) seriously sabotaged the negotiations and made a very serious mistake. It shows naivety and lack of understanding”.
Noting that Blinken had painted an optimistic picture for US domestic political considerations and ensured that the Democratic National Convention in Chicago went smoothly, the sources said: “Blinken has virtually liquidated the negotiations and rewarded Netanyahu by siding with him”.
The sources said the Israeli negotiating delegation was trying to dispel Blinken’s ‘speculation’, adding: “If Israel’s insistence on deploying forces along the Philadelphi Corridor (the Egypt-Gaza border) continues, there will be no agreement and no summit. The same sources noted that Blinken’s remarks meant that the US administration supported Netanyahu’s view that Israeli forces should remain in the Philadelphi Corridor”.
Netanyahu’s insistence on Philadelphi
On 27th May US President Joe Biden presented a proposal for a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas and a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu, on the other hand, claimed that the draft ceasefire announced by Biden differed from the proposal prepared by Israel and demanded that new conditions be added. The Israeli Prime Minister demanded the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza, and the Philadelphi corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, as well as the Israeli occupation of the Rafah border crossing. In addition, Netanyahu stipulated that Hamas members would be prevented from crossing into the north from other parts of Gaza.
Hamas had largely accepted Biden’s proposal, except for the conditions that Netanyahu later added to the proposal. However, Netanyahu’s insistence on an Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor has brought the latest negotiations to a standstill.
