Blinken’s tightrope walk of ‘killing two birds with one stone’… Pressure to ‘block Rafah attack and conclude ceasefire negotiations’ – News Pym VRESP TODAY

(New York = Newspim) Correspondent Kim Geun-cheol = U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on the 1st (local time) that he cannot support Israel’s plan to attack the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, which is being carried out without measures to protect civilians.

Secretary Blinken, who visited Israel for the seventh time since the war in the Gaza Strip in October last year, attempted to kill two birds with one stone by pressuring Israel to withdraw its plan for an all-out attack on Rafah while pressuring Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal, but it is still unclear whether it will succeed. The assessment is that it is.

◆Blinken: “I do not support the Rafah attack” vs. Netanyahu: “The military operation is as planned”

On this day, Secretary Blinken met with President Yitzhak Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, and also visited the port of Eshdod, which was opened to provide relief supplies to the Gaza Strip.

“We cannot support a large-scale military operation in Rafah without an effective plan to ensure that civilians are not harmed, and we have not yet seen such a (Israeli) plan,” Blinken said, speaking to reporters at the port of Eshdod. .

“There are other, better ways to deal with the ongoing challenge from Hamas without a large-scale military operation in Rafah,” he said, adding that he was discussing the issue intensively with the Israeli government.

In addition, Minister Blinken is reported to have strongly urged Israel to play an active role in expanding humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and others.

Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden also warned in a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu that U.S. policy toward Israel may change if a ground attack is launched against Rafah without taking measures to protect civilians and provide humanitarian support in the Gaza Strip. there is.

The Biden administration has been pressing for a withdrawal of the attack on Rafah, saying that if the Israeli military launches a large-scale ground war against Rafah, where about 1.4 million refugees are concentrated, a humanitarian disaster and widespread international criticism will be unavoidable.

However, Prime Minister Netanyahu, a far-right hardliner, and the Israeli cabinet have repeatedly expressed their intention to launch an all-out ground war against Rafah to achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas.

According to foreign media, Prime Minister Netanyahu notified that the Rafah ground battle would proceed despite strong dissuasion from the United States and the United Nations during a two-hour and 30-minute meeting with Secretary Blinken on this day.

In a meeting with hostage families the day before, he said, “Whether the ceasefire negotiations are concluded or not, we will enter Rafah and eliminate all Hamas units.”

An Israeli government spokesman also said that four of Hamas’ five units remain in Rafah and that it would keep its promise to eliminate them, adding, “We are sharing our plans with Secretary Blinken.”

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken holds a press conference at the Port of Eshdod, Israel. (Photo = Reuters Newspim)

◆ Hamas is struggling under pressure from Blinken to accept a ceasefire before it is too late

Secretary Blinken repeatedly pressured Hamas to accept Israel’s proposed cease-fire deal before it is too late.

At a press conference after visiting President Netanyahu Herzog, he said, “Even in these very difficult times, we are determined to reach a ceasefire agreement that will allow the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. If a ceasefire fails, it is because of Hamas.” .

During his visit to Saudi Arabia on the 29th, Secretary Blinken also targeted Hamas, saying, “Israel’s recent ceasefire proposal is very generous,” and urged, “We expect Hamas to make a quick and correct decision.”

It has been reported that Israel’s recently proposed ceasefire agreement is based on Hamas releasing 33 hostages and Israel releasing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a 40-day temporary ceasefire. It is reported that this negotiation leaves room for comprehensive negotiations in the future.

Regarding this, a U.S. government official said, “Israel has made a very important compromise. There is no more time to bargain. Hamas must accept it,” Reuters reported.

It is known that Hamas is repeatedly debating whether to accept the negotiated proposal, including sending it to Egypt, a mediation country.

If Hamas ultimately rejects the ceasefire proposal and the negotiations break down, it will provide Israel with an excuse to advance into Rafah, and the conflict and confusion surrounding the situation in the Gaza Strip is expected to become more extreme. There are concerns that the Biden administration’s mediation diplomacy and Middle East policy will also lose momentum.

[email protected]