The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an “immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages” in Gaza, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, during his latest trip to Saudi Arabia Arabia. the region to broker a diplomatic solution to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Biden administration officials have grown more assertive in recent weeks in their push for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict as humanitarian conditions in Gaza have reached crisis levels and political pressure mounts for international action.
In an interview with Al Hadath, a Saudi-run news channel, Mr Blinken said he hoped other countries would support the US-proposed resolution. “I think that would send a strong message, a powerful message,” he said.
The United States has angered many UN member states by vetoing three previous Security Council resolutions to end the fighting, saying in the latest vote in February that calling for an immediate ceasefire would interfere with diplomatic efforts to reach a deal that would ensure the release of the hostage.
But last month, the Biden administration began circulating its own draft proposal that for the first time mentioned a ceasefire, albeit with several conditions, signaling that the United States was more open to criticizing the way Israel conducts the war in Gaza.
And in a speech in early March, Vice President Kamala Harris called for an “immediate cease-fire,” after months of more measured language from administration officials focused on supporting a temporary halt or a humanitarian pause in the war.
Mr. Blinken said in Wednesday’s interview that negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar between Hamas and Israel were “getting close” to reaching an agreement. Negotiators have been in Qatar since Monday for the latest round of talks, after several previous attempts ended without a resolution.
Hamas last week presented a new proposal that dropped an earlier demand that Israel immediately agree to a permanent ceasefire in exchange for the start of a hostage and Palestinian prisoner exchange, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Israeli officials said before this week’s talks that the broad proposal being discussed includes a 42-day pause in exchange for the release of 40 of the more than 100 hostages taken by Israel and held in Gaza.
“I think the gaps are narrowing and I think a deal is very likely,” Mr Blinken said.
