A short time ago, Antony Blinken began a news conference alongside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani in Doha.
At the beginning of the conference, he discussed the latest developments with the ceasefire deal outlined by Joe Biden at the end of May.
The US secretary of state said Hamas had proposed a number of changes to the framework put forward by Washington.
“We discussed those changes last night… some of the changes are workable, some are not,” he said.
He then outlined where the deal stands.
“A deal was on the table that was virtually identical to one that Hamas put forward on 6 May… Hamas could have answered with a single word: ‘Yes’.”
“Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes, a number of which go beyond positions that it [had] previously taken and accepted.”
“As a result, the war will go on,” he said, before adding that he would do everything he can to get a deal done.
He believes the gaps between the parties are bridgeable.
“Look, Israel accepted the proposal, Hamas didn’t… if Hamas continues to say no then it will be clear that they have made a choice to continue the war that they started.”
He insisted that the deal was still on the table.
“We’ll have to see over the coming days… [but] the longer this goes on, the more people suffer,” he said.
He also said that the coming weeks would see the US State Department come up with key ideas for the potential “day after” policy.
“Hamas cannot and will not be allowed to decide the future for this region and its people,” he concluded.
