Netanyahu: Blinken has condemned ceasefire talks with Hamas to death

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip as a failure, suggesting that Hamas was the obstacle to an agreement and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted it, Israeli officials told local media.

Blinken's comments expressing “optimism” about the outcome of the latest round of talks may have ultimately sabotaged the chances of success, the sources said.

Negotiations to end Israel's months-long assault on Gaza have in recent days revolved around Netanyahu's demands that Israel retain control of the Philadelphia Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor.

The Philadelphia Corridor is a 14-kilometer-long and 100-meter-wide demilitarized buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border established by two Egyptian-Israeli agreements in 1979 and 2005. The Netzarim Corridor, on the other hand, is a 6-kilometer-long strip of land separating the north and south of Gaza established by the Israeli military during the current war against Gaza.

Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel will maintain control over these areas and maintain a military presence at the Rafah crossing, which is crucial for the transport of humanitarian aid and commercial goods and has been closed since early May.

Nevertheless, Blinken said on Monday that Netanyahu had accepted a “bridge proposal” presented by Washington that included a “detailed plan” for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza.

Sources familiar with the talks told Ynet on Wednesday that Blinken's comments that the ball was now in Hamas's court likely ruined the chances of bringing the negotiations to a summit in Cairo planned for later this week and reaching an agreement.

“Blinken has committed a very serious foul here, which indicates innocence, amateurism, naivety and lack of understanding”

– Israeli source

“Blinken committed a very serious foul here, which indicates innocence, amateurism, naivety and lack of understanding,” it said.

“He expressed optimism from domestic political considerations that the Democratic convention in Chicago would go smoothly. However, senior representatives of the Israeli negotiating team who listened to his press conference sought to dispel the speculation.”

The sources said Blinken gave Netanyahu a “gift” with his comments and fatally undermined the negotiations.

“There will be no agreement and no summit if Israel continues to insist on stationing troops along the Philadelphia axis,” the source said.

“Blinken's words suggest that the US supports Netanyahu in keeping IDF forces in Philadelphia while both the Egyptians and Hamas refuse.”

'Reversal'

On Tuesday, sources close to Hamas told Middle East Eye that they would not accept the latest US ceasefire proposal because it differs from the drafts announced by President Joe Biden in May.

According to the sources, the new proposal discussed in Qatar last week deviates from what Hamas had previously agreed to and includes additional demands from Netanyahu that are unacceptable to Hamas.

Hamas issued a statement on Tuesday reaffirming its commitment to the July 2 proposal based on Biden's May 31 announcement.

The group described the new proposal as a “reversal” of previous US-backed plans and “an American submission to the new conditions of terrorist Netanyahu and his criminal plans towards the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier this week, three senior Egyptian sources told MEE that Egypt and Israel had reached an agreement that would allow an Israeli security presence along the Philadelphia Corridor.

According to the sources, one option for Israel is to continue to deploy ground troops. The alternative is to replace the troops with an underground barrier, electronic surveillance devices and occasional patrols.

The officials told MEE that Egypt would agree to these options if Palestinian groups, particularly Hamas, supported them.