Hamas Says Blinken ‘Part of the Problem’ as Ceasefire Deal FaltersJoel B. Pollak 12 Jun 2024
A spokesman for Hamas said Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was “part of the problem, not the solution” as the Biden administration official urged the Palestinian terrorist group to accept a ceasefire deal.
Blinken has been traveling in the Middle East this week in the wake of a United Nations Security Council resolution that formalized the administration’s proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release, which it said Israel had accepted.
Israel had agreed under U.S. pressure, while insisting on achieving its war goal of destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. (Biden falsely claimed the proposal had come from Israel, which Israeli officials denied.)
The administration has been urging Hamas to accept the deal, and has asked countries with influence over Hamas to pressure it to accept the deal. But thus far, Hamas has simply pocketed U.S. concessions, and asked for more.
The proposal was, the State Department said last week, “virtually identical” to past Hamas proposals. However, as Breitbart News noted at the time President Joe Biden announced the proposal, Hamas had rejected similar plans.
The sticking point, for Hamas, is that the proposal does not explicitly guarantee that Israel will stop fighting on a permanent basis. Hamas has insisted for weeks that the U.S. issue a written guarantee of a permanent ceasefire.
Earlier in the week, Hamas welcomed the UN Security Council resolution, while insisting on more negotiations. On Tuesday, it issued a formal response, in which it made a number of additional demands, including control of the Gaza-Egypt border.
That would allow Hamas to resume smuggling weapons into Gaza, and to re-arm its forces.
Hamas also wanted changes in the timeline of the proposal regarding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
more
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/06/12/hamas-says-blinken-part-of-the-problem-as-ceasefire-deal-falters/