Blinken on Ceasefire: Time is Running Out

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Blinken on Ceasefire: Time is Running Out
Photo: Kevin Mohatt/AP/TT

The USA's Foreign Minister Antony Blinken concludes his latest round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East – where he has tried to put pressure on the parties to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza War. Time is running out, he says.

The visit was the ninth in the region for Blinken since the Gaza war broke out. The Foreign Minister, who previously said that the talks could be "the last chance" to achieve a ceasefire, again emphasized that time may be running out.

For every day that passes, more bad things can happen to good people who do not deserve it, Blinken told reporters before boarding his plane to leave Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the talks are being held.

We must get this done, and it must be done in the coming days, he said, referring to the proposal for a ceasefire.

We will do everything to get it over the finish line.

The US, together with mediator countries Egypt and Qatar, has put heavy pressure on the terrorist-listed Hamas to accept the latest proposal.

Blinken had previously said that Israel had accepted the proposal – but shortly afterwards, the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went out in Israeli media and disagreed on a key issue. Netanyahu insisted that Israel would maintain a military presence on the border between Gaza and Egypt, which mediator country Egypt opposes.

Antony Blinken emphasized that the US "does not accept any long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza". He acknowledged at the same time that disagreements remain between the parties and urged both Israel and Hamas to show "maximum flexibility" during the talks.

An anonymous official within US President Joe Biden's staff, who traveled to the Middle East with Blinken, tells Reuters that the US expects further talks on a ceasefire this week.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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