(AFP) – Former US secretary of state Antony Blinken voiced support Thursday for a Gaza plan laid out by President Donald Trump, saying it was in line with a deal he pursued under Joe Biden.
“I do think it’s cause for some hope. I certainly hope that the plan gets fully accepted, fully adopted and fully implemented,” Blinken said.
“This is essentially the plan that developed over many months and more or less (was) left in a drawer for the incoming administration, and I’m very, very glad they picked it up,” he told the podcast of former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara.
But he also acknowledged risks in the framework, including allowing Israel to determine when the situation allows it to withdraw fully from Gaza. “There’s some loopholes that they could drive a truck through if they wanted to,” Blinken said of Israel.
Blinken traveled a dozen times to the Middle East after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, eventually seeking to press both sides to accept a ceasefire as Israel waged a relentless retaliatory offensive.
Israel and Hamas finally agreed to a ceasefire on January 19, Biden’s last day in office, with Trump’s incoming envoy backing the diplomacy.
But in March, Israel resumed major military operations in Gaza and shut down all entrance of food, leading to dire humanitarian conditions in which the United Nations has declared famine in parts of the ravaged Gaza Strip.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both backed the plan in a White House appearance on Monday and warned Hamas of harsh consequences if it says no.
World powers including Arab and Muslim nations also welcomed the proposal, but some people interviewed by AFP in Gaza said it was unrealistic given its requirement that Hamas disarm itself.
© 2024 AFP
