Blinken suggests cease-fire in Gaza is within ‘10-yard line’

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken suggested Friday that a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is within the “10-yard line.”

His comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington next week.

“I believe we’re inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line in getting an agreement that would produce a cease-fire, get the hostages home and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability,” Blinken said Friday during the Aspen Security Forum.

Netanyahu’s July 24 visit has drawn intense scrutiny from critics of Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza, with over 200 congressional staffers signing on to a letter protesting his upcoming visit. The U.S. Capitol Police have also announced they will add more officers ahead of the visit, where he is expected to address Congress and meet with President Biden.

Blinken previewed what the discussion could look like between the two leaders at the security conference, highlighting that a “day-after plan” still needs to be negotiated.

“What we can’t have is an agreement that’s followed by some kind of void,” the State Department chief said, “if it’s there, by Hamas coming back, which is unacceptable; by Israel prolonging its occupation, which they say they don’t want to do and is unacceptable; or just having a vacuum that’s filled by lawlessness.”

The remarks also come nearly two months since the Biden administration released a three-part proposal outlining steps to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the more than 120 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas. In Aspen, Blinken reiterated that both sides have agreed to the president’s framework.

The first phase of the plan is six-weeks of a complete cease-fire, which would also mean the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of the Gaza Strip and the release of the remaining hostages taken captive during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Still, Israel’s legislature passed a resolution Thursday rejecting Palestinian statehood, one of the key parts of Biden’s plan, per reports. That move could serve as a major obstacle in facilitating the deal.

“I think the best way I can respond to that is to just reiterate our firm belief in the power and the promise of a two-state solution,” White House communication director John Kirby told reporters in response.