Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the current negotiations could be Israel’s last chance to secure the return the remaining hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Speaking ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Blinken said, “This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.”
“I’m here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort on President Biden’s instructions to try to get this agreement to the line, and ultimately over the line. It’s time for it to get done,” he continued.
According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, the private meeting between Netanyahu and Blinken was “positive and held in a good atmosphere.
“The meeting lasted approximately three hours. The prime minister reiterated Israel’s commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, which he strongly insists on,” Netanyahu’s statement said.
Blinken touched down in Israel on Sunday night, amid an international push to secure a ceasefire deal between Jerusalem and Hamas.
The visit—his ninth to Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of some 1,200 people—comes amid ongoing talks to secure the release of 115 captives still held in Gaza.
Herzog in remarks before his meeting with Blinken gave an update on the latest security incidents, including Sunday’s fatal terror attack near Kedumim and failed terrorist bombing in Tel Aviv, as well as Monday morning’s Hezbollah drone attack in Ya’ara, a moshav in the Western Galilee.
“This is the way we are living these days,” Herzog said. “We are surrounded by terror from four corners of the earth, and we are fighting back as a resilient and strong nation.”
The president pointed the finger at Hamas for the terrorist group’s “adamant refusal” to make progress in the ceasefire negotiations.
“We are simply still very hopeful that we can move forward in the negotiations,” he said, adding, “And I want to thank the United States, Egypt and Qatar for their efforts on behalf of this noble cause.”
“There is no greater humanitarian objective, and there’s no greater humanitarian cause than bringing back our hostages home, as they should have returned long ago. We want to see them back home as soon as possible,” Herzog continued.
He thanked President Joe Biden and his administration for America’s support “in these very dire and complicated times.”
“You’ve amassed a very powerful and impressive coalition of armies, navies and powers that are here to protect the interests of the coalition of nations that wants to move toward peace and a better future in the Middle East, against the empire of evil, which starts and emanates from Tehran,” the president stated.
“I want to thank you personally, and I want to thank the president for showing and projecting power in this region, as the message should be clear that no one should attack Israel or meddle with our clear and inherent right of self defense. Thank you very much.”
Blinken emphasized the importance of de-escalation amid threats by Iran and its regional terror proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, to attack Israel following the assassinations of high-profile Hezbollah and Hamas leaders last month.
“So we’re looking to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could move us away from getting this deal over the line, or for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity,” said Blinken.
“I know that this is a fraught moment in Israel. We’re deeply concerned about the possibility of attacks coming from Iran, coming from Hezbollah and other sources, and as you heard the president say, the United States is taking decisive action to deploy forces here, to deter any attacks, and if necessary to defend against any attacks,” he continued. “But the focus of my visit is intensely on getting the hostages back, getting the ceasefire done. It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no.”
The American diplomat was set to hold discussions with other Israeli leaders, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
The visit is part of Washington’s “diplomatic efforts to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages and detainees through the bridging proposal presented today by the United States, with support from Egypt and Qatar,” the State Department announced on Friday.
Biden said he had dispatched Blinken to the region in an attempt “to reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security, continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement and to underscore that with the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process.”
Biden said he had reviewed “the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks” under the auspices of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
