The United States is working with Israel to create a mechanism for a series of humanitarian “pauses” to the Gaza War to allow vital humanitarian assistance to enter the enclave, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv during his one-day visit to the country.
This is a “critical mechanism for protecting civilians while allowing Israel to obtain its objective of defeating Hamas,” Blinken said.
Part of his conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dealt with that issue, Blinken said.
Israel intensifies Gaza ground operation
Blinken came as the Biden administration is under fire at home for its support of Israel’s aerial and ground campaign in Gaza.
Hamas has asserted that over 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in war-related violence.
Blinken said that his administration has clarified that how Israel conducts the war matters.
“In matter of two weeks we have gone from nothing getting in through the Rafah gate to well over 100 trucks,” he explained, adding that this was still insufficient.
“We are looking at concrete practice ways” to increase that assistance,” Blinken said, adding that this was also a way to get hostages released and advance other interests.
He strongly defended Israel’s right to self-defense and the importance of its campaign against Hamas.
It’s “shocking” that the brutality of the Hamas October 7 attack has been so quickly forgotten, he said as he referred to the terror group killing of over 1,400 people and its seizure of over 242 people hostage during it’s infiltration into southern Israel.
“There can not and must not be a return to the pre-October 7 status quo,” he said.
“That means that the idea of Hamas remaining” in Gaza and posing a threat is unacceptable, but similar Israel can not remain in Gaza either, he said.
The US is convinced that the best path, maybe the only path, is through a two-state resolution to the conflict, he said.
There must be a better idea of what the future might be for Israelis and Palestinians, he said.
The US must “lay out a clear vision and a path to achieve that vision,” he said.
“There is a broad and strong coalition through the region that wants to do exactly that,” he said.
‘We are determined that there not be a second or third front’
It was important, he said, that the Gaza War does not lead to a regional one.
“We have been very clear from the outset that we are determined that there not be a second or third front opened on this conflict,” Blinken said.
“We’re committed to deterring aggression from any part and we will take the necessary steps to deal with it,” he said.
Separately, Blinken said he and others in the US have clarified for Israel that settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank was unacceptable.
“It’s an acute concern right now. What I heard today was a clear commitment from the government to deal with extremist violence in the West Bank, to condemn it, to take action to prevent it and to take action against those who perpetrate it,” Blinken said.
He added that the US would look to see that Israel upheld that commitment.
Prior to his press conference, Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken and his delegation were shown video clips “which depict the horrors and the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7,” the Prime Minister’s office said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz and Minister Gadi Eisenkot, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, MK Aryeh Deri, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi, participated in the meeting.
As did the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil and the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Advisor Ofir Falk.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Lief, State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet, State Department Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues David Satterfield and US Ambassador-designate to Israel Jack Lew were also present.