The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council calling for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Mr. Blinken made the comments in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 20.
Mr. Blinken was asked by Al-Hadath’s Christiane Baissary whether Washington is “carrying any more initiatives to end the bloodshed in Gaza,” to which the U.S. secretary of state said officials are “pressing” for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of Israeli hostages.
“That would bring immediate relief to so many people who are suffering in Gaza–the children, the women, the men,” he said. “It would allow a much greater expansion of humanitarian assistance getting to them, and it could create the conditions to have a lasting, enduring cease-fire, which is also what we want to see. So that’s the urgency in this moment. That’s what we’re pressing with Qatar and Egypt working closely with us to try to get an agreement.”
Proposal ‘Sends Strong Message’
The reporter also highlighted Washington’s decision to veto a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza last month.
Responding to her questioning, Mr. Blinken said U.S. officials have put forward a resolution to the U.N. Security Council that “does call for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of hostages,” adding that the United States hopes countries will support it.
Mr. Blinken didn’t say when the resolution would be brought for a vote. However, the senior Biden administration official said he believes that the proposal will “send a strong message, a strong signal.”
Still, the secretary of state stressed that the United States has unwavering support for Israel, including its right to defend itself, in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion and terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel.
“At the same time, it’s imperative that the civilians who are in harm’s way and who are suffering so terribly–that we focus on them, that we make them a priority, protecting the civilians, getting them humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said. “We’ve been leading the effort to do that, to get more in, to get more to the people who need it. We are pressing on that as hard as we can.”
Asked whether a cease-fire is possible in the near future despite several rounds of failed negotiations regarding the matter, Mr. Blinken said that “it’s getting closer” and “the gaps are narrowing,” and he blamed Hamas for not accepting previous proposals.
Blinken Urges Hamas to Accept Cease-Fire Agreement
The Biden administration official touted Washington’s “hard work” with Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to get a strong proposal on the table but said Hamas declined to accept it and instead came back with other requests and demands.“Of course, if Hamas cares at all about the people it purports to represent, then it would reach an agreement, because that would have the immediate effect of a cease-fire, alleviating the tremendous suffering of people, bringing more humanitarian assistance in, and then giving us the possibility of having something more lasting,” Mr. Blinken said.
“The quickest path to ending that is getting this immediate cease-fire with the release of hostages. Then a lot more becomes possible.”
Mr. Blinken’s comments come after President Joe Biden said in February that he was confident a cease-fire in Gaza could be reached ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on March 11, but the U.S. president later backtracked on the comments.
About 134 hostages remain in Gaza, among them soldiers and civilians, according to the Israeli government.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 31,000 people have died in Gaza since the conflict broke out in October 2023.
