US secretary of state Antony Blinken has wrapped up a whirlwind Middle East tour warning that “time is of the essence” to secure a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
But he left the region with wide gaps remaining between Israel and Hamas, and few signs that an intense US-led diplomatic push was any closer to getting a deal over the line.
After meeting Qatari officials in Doha on Tuesday, Blinken reiterated that Israel had endorsed a US proposal to overcome the deep differences between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian militant group. But the Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied it has accepted the so-called “bridging proposal” that Blinken discussed with Netanyahu during three hours of talks in Jerusalem on Monday.
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