Blinken Speaks to Media in Israel Before Departing

Good evening everyone. I met earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we talked about, of course, the hostage deal that's on the table that would produce an immediate ceasefire, get the hostages home, alleviate suffering of Palestinian people in Gaza, and also give us something to build on for the future to get to durable peace and security. Israel has made very important compromises in the proposal that's on the table, demonstrating its desire and willingness to get this agreement and get it done. Now, as we've been saying, it's on Hamas. Hamas has to decide whether it will take this deal and actually advance the situation for the people that it purports to care about in Gaza. There is no time for delay. There's no time for further haggling. The deal is there, they should take it. (01:09) We also spent some time talking about something that's been a priority for President Biden from day one, since October 7th, and since the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and that is trying to make sure that people who have been caught in this crossfire get the humanitarian assistance they need. And this has been, as I said, a priority for the president from day one. It's been a focus of every trip that I've taken to the region, and this is now, I think my seventh, since October 7th. We have seen, in recent weeks, real meaningful progress that is starting to make a difference for people in Gaza. Yesterday we were in Jordan. Some of you saw the trucks being loaded in Jordan. They went through Erez for the first time today, and that's very important because that's direct access to the north of Gaza. And this is the result of a very important collaboration involving Israel, involving Jordan, involving as well, the United Nations. We have our own maritime corridor that is probably a week away from being operational. (02:18) And here in Ashdod, Israel's primary port, we're now seeing a real flow of assistance that is going to the people in Gaza. And it's a pretty good example of all the efforts that the president's been making on this. Back in February, he requested of Israel that they allow flour to come through Ashdod, and as a result, we had US flour going to Gaza, enough to feed 1.5 million Gazans for five months. Now, we are getting all other items coming here through Ashdod and they'll be going to Gaza. So we're seeing, as I said, real demonstrable progress. I discussed that today as well with the Minister of Defense as well as the Army Chief of Staff and all those working on the Israeli side to make sure that assistance is moving and flowing to Gaza. And we got a detailed briefing on that. We had the Senior UN Coordinator, Sigrid Kaag with us, who's playing an instrumental role along with many UN agencies. (03:26) So the progress is real, but given the immense need in Gaza, it needs to be accelerated, it needs to be sustained. And as we focus on all of the necessary inputs, the number of trucks they're moving, what matters the most is the impact. And we're focused on measuring that, making sure that people are actually getting what they need, that it's being delivered to them. One of the remaining challenges is making sure that when assistance gets through, it can be effectively distributed within Gaza, and we have to make sure that it's not interfered with or impeded by Hamas. So these are remaining challenges, and there are a number of others as well, particularly making sure that we have effective deconfliction and coordination with the humanitarians. There's been, I think, a significant improvement there as well, but we have to make sure that that's happening right down to the unit level so that everyone in the chain knows when a shipment is moving through, a convoy is moving through Gaza, and it can work its way through efficiently, effectively, and get to people who need it. (04:42) There are a number of other things that we want to see continued progress on. I left a list of items with the Prime Minister and with other officials in the government. There's one other aspect of this that's critical, and I mentioned this yesterday. Besides the food, it's usually important that everything people need for their basic well-being is provided and provided effectively, safe water to drink, medicine when you're sick, access to hospitals and healthcare facilities if you need urgent care. All of these things are absolutely vital. And again, we're seeing progress. The water pipelines that had been cut off or had been destroyed or had other challenges, are being restored. That's good. But then once within Gaza, we have to make sure that the distribution works, and that requires some work inside of Gaza itself, including with the Palestinian water authority. (05:47) So this entire ecosystem of care, of support for the people in Gaza needs to be front and center in our minds, and it's very much front and center in President Biden's mind. Again, this is what he's been focused on from day one. We're seeing good, important results, but got to see more faster as effectively and efficiently as possible. Let me leave you with that and take a few questions.

Thanks. Good evening, Mr. Secretary, Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly has threatened to go into Rafah, regardless of whether there is an agreement on hostage releases and a temporary ceasefire. Has the Israeli government now, on this visit, perhaps provided a viable plan for Rafah? You've talked about needing a workable humanitarian plan if they are to proceed with an invasion, or have they given you assurances that they would allow a deal to play out before proceeding with an invasion?

What we're focused on, as I said, is getting this agreement, ceasefire, hostage release, and then something to build on, and that's what we talked about today in our meetings. And that's the immediate focus. And there is an agreement that if we're able to get the deal, if we get the ceasefire, get the hostages out, we will look for ways to build on that and have something that's sustainable over time. On Rafah itself, our position is clear. It hasn't changed. It won't change. We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed. And no, we've not seen such a plan. And at the same time, there are other ways and in our judgment, better ways of dealing with the real ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not involve or require a major military operation in Rafah. We've been talking to the Israelis about that. We'll continue those conversations.

Mr. Secretary, you said that you're focused on trying to get these hostages out and trying to get Hamas to agree to this deal, and you're saying the ball is in Hamas court. At the same time, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday that he would do a major assault on Rafah with or without a deal, and we hear from Israeli reports that he told you today that he won't agree to any terms for a long-term ceasefire. Now, all of that seems to undermine any incentive for Hamas to take this agreement since part of their calculus might be to try and reach a long-term ceasefire. So how do you address that?

I'm not going to speak for him. I'll let him speak for himself. All I can tell you is that what we discussed today, among other things, was getting this agreement, which involves an immediate ceasefire, hostages home, and then working to build on it. And that's what we talked about today. So let's see if we can get this done. I think this is something that the whole world is watching, and if Hamas actually purports to care about the Palestinian people and wants to see an immediate alleviation of their suffering, it will take the deal. If it doesn't, I think that's further proof that it doesn't care a bit about Palestinian people.

Would the Prime Minister's statements undermined incentives for Hamas to take the deal?

I think that, again, all I can tell you is what we're focused on is getting the deal and understanding that that's something that will give us an opportunity to build on. Hamas will have to make its own judgments, but the most immediate thing that can happen to actually improve the situation for Palestinians and also create a dynamic that moves this in a different direction, is the ceasefire, the hostage deal. Let's see what they do.

Thank you.

Thanks everyone.