Blinken arrives in the Middle East

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The White House confirms President Joe Biden spoke this weekend to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu re-affirming the U.S.’s commitment to Israel’s security.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East now as hostage negotiations continue.

“The quickest way to bring this to an end is to get to a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” said Blinken.

A ceasefire and releasing the hostages are the top priorities for Blinken as the Israel-Hamas war shows no signs of letting up.

“We strongly support Israel in its effort to ensure that what happened on October 7th never happens again. But at the same time, we are determined to do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering that we’re seeing every single day in Gaza,” said Blinken.

Striking that balance remains elusive for the U.S. and Middle East partners who say they remain committed to negotiations.

“In this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly,” said Blinken.

Threatening progress is the possibility that Israel could expand its operations into Rafah, against U.S. wishes.

“We’ve said clearly and for some time now on Rafah that in the absence of a plan to ensure that civilians will not be harmed, we can’t support a major military operation in Rafah, and we have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected,” said Blinken.

Israel says it will consider U.S. opposition before any operations into Rafah.

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