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Blinken Talks a Grand Vision for Mideast Peace but Hits a Wall in Israel

(New York Times) Edward Wong - As Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his latest visit to the Middle East on Thursday, where he discussed his vision of a postwar Gaza, eventually including a Palestinian state, the one government that matters most in the equation - Israel's - has given no sign that it is aligned with the Biden administration's long-term goals. "Today, no one can speak with Israelis about a Palestinian state," said Danny Danon, a senior lawmaker from Prime Minister Netanyahu's party. "Today, we have to look at stability, security." Meanwhile, the Israeli mainstream wants the invasion of Gaza to continue until Hamas is ousted. In a meeting with Blinken, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said that Israel was not slowing its campaign in northern Gaza, but merely changing tactics. Blinken was also told that Israeli military activity in southern Gaza would actually intensify because of the scale of the challenge there. Netanyahu rejected Blinken's calls for civilians to be allowed to swiftly return to northern Gaza. "Returning Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza will put them in harm's way," Netanyahu's office said. "There are still thousands of Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza, miles of underground terror tunnels and other Hamas infrastructure that Israel will need to deal with before it is safe for civilians to return."
2024-01-12 00:00:00
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