Published 08/19/2024 11:49 | Edited 08/19/2024 12:09
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday (19) described the most recent ceasefire meetings in Doha (Qatar) and Cairo (Egypt) as “probably the best, perhaps the last opportunity”. Despite the call for pacifism, the US State Department, led by Blinken, approved on Tuesday (13) a package of US$20 billion in weapons for Israel, including F-15 fighters and ammunition for tanks.
The American double game has paid off: international coverage has reported that Israel and Hamas have never been closer to an agreement on a ceasefire, which would include the release of Israeli hostages, while Tel Aviv has stepped up its military incursions into the Gaza Strip and piled up more Palestinian bodies.
Last week, Palestinian authorities announced the death toll of 40,000 while the Israeli army ordered the withdrawal of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip from areas considered humanitarian zones and the start of an operation in the neighborhoods of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
The areas from which Israel has removed the humanitarian zone label are known for their highest level of population density, with 1.7 million internally displaced people, according to international humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday (18), the same day that an attack in Gaza left 21 dead, including six children and their mother.
In response, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, in partnership with the Islamic Jihad movement’s armed wing, the Al Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion this Sunday (19) in the southern region of Tel Aviv. The man carrying the device died in the detonation and another person was injured.
“This is a defining moment, probably the best, perhaps the last opportunity to bring the hostages home, achieve a ceasefire and put everyone on a better path to lasting peace and security,” Blinken told reporters ahead of his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“I am here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort under President Biden’s direction to try to move this deal across the line and ultimately over the line. It is time for everyone to say yes and not look for excuses to say no,” he added.
“We are working to ensure that there is no escalation, no provocations, no actions that could in any way prevent us from completing this agreement, or escalate the conflict to other places,” he said.
Blinken was referring to possible retaliation by Iran for an Israeli operation in Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Hanieyh. Hanieyh was a guest of honor at the inauguration of the Persian country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Source: vermelho.org.br
