Israeli media: Blinken said it is impossible to completely eliminate Hamas
Israeli media reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli officials that it is "impossible to completely eliminate Hamas."
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Israel's Channel 13 television reported that the US Secretary of State, during a meeting with the Israeli War Cabinet, conveyed the US demand to implement a two-state solution as a vision for "the day after (the end of) the war in Gaza."
The report stated that Blinken told the ministers, "You have aspirations, and the Palestinians have aspirations as well. You must accept this." In response, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer reportedly said that 85 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank support the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7.
BLINKEN'S HAMAS STATEMENT
According to the report, senior Israeli officials stated that Blinken sent a message saying, "If a two-state solution is not presented as a vision, Israel will not move forward politically. Even (regarding the issue of normalization) with Saudi Arabia."
It was also stated that Blinken told the ministers in the Israeli War Cabinet that "it is impossible to completely eliminate Hamas."
There has been no statement from Israel or the US regarding the report.
Blinken, who has visited Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Bahrain as part of his Middle East tour, is also expected to visit Egypt.