Diplomacy in war: Blinken in Israel: Perhaps last chance for hostage deal

The efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war could be the last chance for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The diplomat is in Israel for the ninth time since the Gaza war began more than ten months ago to work for an agreement to release the hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The efforts were overshadowed by an attempted Palestinian terrorist attack in Tel Aviv and threats of new suicide attacks in Israel.

Decisive moment in ceasefire talks

At a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Blinken said: “This is a critical moment, probably the best, perhaps the last opportunity to bring the hostages home, to achieve a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to lasting peace and security.”

Blinken then met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Netanyahu’s office later announced that the conversation lasted about three hours and was “positive and in a good atmosphere.” The Israeli head of government reiterated that Israel was “committed to the current US proposal for the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he (Netanyahu) strongly insists on.”

Blinken is likely to have tried to persuade Netanyahu to be more flexible in the ceasefire negotiations. Critics accuse Netanyahu of blocking an agreement because he fears that concessions to Hamas will lead to the collapse of his governing coalition. But Hamas also rejects the current state of negotiations.

USA wants to stop further escalation in the Middle East

Regarding international efforts to reach an agreement in the indirect talks between Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, Blinken said: “It is time to bring it to a conclusion.” It is necessary to ensure that “no one takes steps that could torpedo this process.” Blinken said: “We want to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations.”

It is necessary to prevent “the conflict from escalating into other regions and becoming even more intense,” Blinken said. There are concerns about possible attacks on Israel from Iran, the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and others. Therefore, US President Joe Biden is taking decisive steps such as moving troops to the region to prevent any attacks “and, if necessary, to defend against any attacks.”

After the killing of two high-ranking enemies of Israel in Tehran and Beirut almost three weeks ago, Iran and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah threatened massive retaliatory strikes.

Herzog: We want to see hostages home quickly

President Herzog accused Hamas of bearing the main responsibility for the failure of talks mediated by the USA, Egypt and Qatar in recent months due to its refusal to cooperate. “We are still very hopeful that we can make progress in the negotiations,” Herzog said at the same time. They want to see the hostages “back home as soon as possible.”

According to Israeli figures, Hamas still has 115 hostages in its power, 41 of whom Israel has declared dead. In addition, other hostages whose fate is unknown are probably no longer alive.

Blinken will remain in the region until Tuesday and plans to travel from Israel to Egypt. Negotiators are scheduled to meet in Cairo this week to discuss specific issues. Another top-level meeting is planned for Sunday.

One of the most controversial issues in the negotiations is whether Israel will withdraw from the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which it captured in May. Hamas is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is demanding that the Israeli army continue to control the so-called Philadelphia Corridor even after a ceasefire, for example to prevent the smuggling of weapons.

Deadly explosion in Tel Aviv

Meanwhile, the Palestinian terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for an attempted terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. An explosive device exploded in a man’s backpack on Sunday evening in the coastal metropolis as he was walking along a street in the south of the city. The suspected attacker was killed and an e-scooter rider was injured. The newspaper “Haaretz” wrote that the police assume that the target of the attack was a nearby synagogue.

“It can now be confirmed that it was a terrorist attack in which a powerful explosive device exploded,” said a joint statement from the police and the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet. Security forces in the greater Tel Aviv area were subsequently put on high alert. “We call on citizens to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious person or object to the police.”

Threat of new wave of terror in Israel

The military wings of Hamas and Jihad threatened in a joint statement that they would again rely more heavily on such attacks in Israel “as long as the massacres by the occupying power, the expulsion of civilians and the policy of assassinations continue.”

The public broadcaster Kan reported that it was assumed that the attacker was a Palestinian from Nablus in the West Bank. According to Palestinian sources, Israeli troops entered the city.

Herzog said at the meeting with Blinken that a serious terrorist attack had apparently been prevented in Tel Aviv. The coastal city on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean has been the site of deadly attacks by Palestinians in the past.

A police spokesman told the Israeli army radio station that if the explosion had occurred just a few meters away, “we would have woken up to a huge disaster.”