Blinken's call to Israel: Time to end it

Speaking after the North Atlantic Council meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US is demanding real and long-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza to ensure aid can reach those in need.

Responding to a question pointing out that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened since the letter was sent threatening to restrict arms shipments and military aid from the US to Israel if Israel did not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Blinken said the purpose of the letter was to instill a sense of urgency in Israeli officials to take action for Gaza.

Arguing that the letter was effective, Blinken said, "Israel has entered an implementation process or has begun to implement 12 of the 15 steps we requested to be taken."

Blinken said, "We need to see real and long-term pauses in the war and all kinds of conflict in large parts of Gaza. This way, aid supplies can be effectively delivered to the people who need them. There are great difficulties in this regard, but we have also witnessed successful solutions. The polio vaccination campaign in Gaza was one of the very successful initiatives.

Hundreds of thousands of children were vaccinated. However, what was critical to this success was having long-term pauses that lasted for days, not just hours as is currently the case. It is vital that those bringing the aid can deliver it, distribute it, and find the space to carry this out," he said.

"I THINK THE TIME HAS COME TO END THE WAR"

Blinken stated, "Despite all the steps, the situation is so difficult and striking that the best way to completely fix this and fully meet people's needs is to end the war. From my perspective, what I see is this: Israel has achieved the strategic goals it set for itself, within the framework of the standards it established.

It was determined to do its best to ensure that October 7 never happens again. It had stated that to do this, it needed to dismantle Hamas's military structure and capture the leadership cadre responsible for October 7. It has achieved both of these goals.

Therefore, I think the time has come to end the war. To do this, there are basically two things needed. The first of these is to ensure that the hostages, including 7 Americans, return to their homes," he said.

Stating that "there is also a need for a plan for the post-war period," Blinken said, "This is a subject I have been working on in recent weeks. If Israel decides to end the war and we find a way to rescue the hostages, we need to have a clear plan that will allow Israel to withdraw from Gaza and prevent Hamas from returning.

We are working as intensively as we can on these plans, detailing them and trying to bring them to life," he said.

Expressing that Israel must fulfill its obligations and that they will follow Israel day by day in this regard, Blinken noted that ceasefire proposals in exchange for the release of hostages have been rejected by Hamas and that pressure must also be applied to Hamas.

News Source: İHA