Blinken projects optimism over hostage deal negotiations on first stop of Middle East tour

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken expressed optimism over the ongoing hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas while visiting Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in the first stop of his Middle East tour.

“The gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible,” Blinken told the Saudi channel al-Hadath in Jeddah, where he met the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.

In Jeddah, I met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince @FaisalbinFarhan to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and efforts to immediately increase aid to Palestinians.

I reaffirmed our commitment to lasting peace and security in the region. pic.twitter.com/5pYQjytt1d

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 21, 2024

“We worked very hard with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to put a strong proposal on the table… Hamas wouldn’t accept it. They came back with other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now, but I believe it’s very much doable, and it’s very much necessary,” Blinken said.

“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 ceasefire, alleviating the tremendous suffering of people, bringing more humanitarian assistance in, and then giving us the possibility of having something more lasting,” he added.

Following the return of Mossad Director David Barnea and IDF representative for hostage affairs, Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon from talks in Qatar, Israel's war cabinet convened on Tuesday to discuss negotiations with Hamas regarding a potential hostage release deal."

Israeli officials estimate that the talks could take up to two weeks and recent reports in Israeli media indicate the Israeli side has a significant amount of pessimism about reaching a deal.

On Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said it was premature to say the sides were close to reaching a deal.

According to the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper, one of the obstacles in the current talks is Hamas’ insistence on discussing humanitarian issues above all else.

Hamas negotiators demand the withdrawal of IDF troops from certain areas to allow the return of the displaced civilians to northern Gaza, Al-Akhbar reported on Thursday. However, Israel is primarily interested in discussing the issue of the release of Palestinian prisoners, which Hamas wants to postpone.

The Israeli side also rejected calls to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip’s central axes and also refused to grant Hamas a role in the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, the report said.

Blinken’s trip will take him to Egypt next, where he is scheduled to discuss U.S. alternatives to Israel’s planned Rafah incursion with senior officials before continuing to Israel.