US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday afternoon, spoke of the recent conflict in an interview with ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Asked about Washington's efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, Blinken said that US President Biden's "focus on relentless, determined, but quiet diplomacy is what got us to where we needed to be, which is to get the violence ended as quickly as possible, to stop more human suffering, and to at least put ourselves in position to make a turn, to make a pivot to building something more positive."
Commenting on the situation going forward, Blinken said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has to be addressed without delay, as does "engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements in the lives of people so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of security, of peace, and of dignity.
"It's vitally important that Palestinians feel hope and have opportunity and can live in security, just as it is for Israelis. And there should be equal measures. And in a democratic society, that is, I think, an obligation of the – of any government. So ultimately, I think that that hope, that security, that dignity can – will be found in a Palestinian state.
"But meanwhile, we have to do everything we can both to address the immediate situation, which is humanitarian, reconstruction in Gaza, starting to improve people's lives in a concrete way, and ultimately get to a place where we can get negotiations and move towards something that brings a lasting resolution to the problem".
Asked whether he believes the two-state solution was still possible, the US' top diplomat noted, "President Biden's been very clear that he remains committed to a two-state solution. Ultimately, it is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, and of course, the only way to give the Palestinians the state to which they're entitled.
"We have to start putting in place the conditions that would allow both sides to engage in a meaningful and positive way toward two states.
"In the first instance, we have to deal with making this turn from the violence – we got the ceasefire – and now deal with the humanitarian situation, deal with reconstruction, and deepen our existing engagement with Palestinians and with Israelis alike."
As for the fact that Hamas is likely to embark on rebuilding its military immediately, Blinken stressed, "The fact of the matter is Hamas has brought nothing but ruin to the Palestinian people: its gross mismanagement of Gaza while it's been in charge, and of course, these indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, which have elicited the response that they did because Israel has a right to defend itself.
"I think what's the real challenge here is to help the Palestinians, and particularly to help moderate Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority deliver better results for their people. And of course, Israel has a profound role to play in that too."
Commenting on a recent arms sale to Israel that progressives in the US are trying to prevent, he said, "I think, effective diplomacy in getting to a ceasefire and stopping the violence … When it comes to arms sales, two things. First, the president's been equally clear: We are committed to giving Israel the means to defend itself, especially when it comes to these indiscriminate rocket attacks against civilians.
"Any country would respond to that, and we – we're committed to Israel's defense. At the same time, any arms sale is going to be done in full consultation with Congress. We're committed to that. And we want to make sure that that process works effectively."
Turning his attention to the Biden administration's attempts to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, Blinken said, "Iran is engaged in a number of activities, including funding extremist groups, supporting terrorism more broadly, supporting very dangerous proxies that are taking destabilizing actions throughout the Middle East, proliferating weapons."
"An Iran with a nuclear weapon or with the capability to build one in very short order is going to act with even greater impunity in those areas, which just adds to the urgency of trying to put the nuclear problem back in the box that the nuclear agreement put it in. And, of course, many of these actions are going forward now while the – and have gone forward over the last few years under the so-called maximum pressure being exerted by the previous administration, and clearly did not get the result that we all seek, which is to curb all of these activities.
"But the first thing that we need to do is put the nuclear problem back in the box. That's why we're committed to trying to see if Iran will come back into compliance with the nuclear agreement, the so-called JCPOA – that's what we're engaged in now – and then use that as a platform to build on and to try to deal with these other issues."
Iran, he said, "knows what it needs to do to come back into compliance on the nuclear side. And what we haven't yet seen is whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision to do what it has to do. That's the test and we don't yet have an answer."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Blinken will travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo, and Amman between May 24 and 27, 2021. He will first travel to Jerusalem, where he will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and other senior Israeli officials.
In Ramallah, he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, PM Mohammad Shtayyeh, and other senior officials from the Palestinian Authority.
Blinken will then travel to Cairo to meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. The secretary will conclude his trip with a stop in Amman to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
