Blinken said the US-Saudi defense deal for Israel’s normalization is close and hopes that Hamas would accept the generous Gaza deal
The “generous” ceasefire agreement should be accepted by the Palestinian terrorist group, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday. This is Blinken’s sixth trip to the area since the Hamas assault and the ensuing conflict in Gaza on October 7.
He said that he is still optimistic that Hamas would agree to accept Israel’s “extraordinarily generous” offer to end its Gaza onslaught in exchange for the prisoners being released.
Speaking to guests at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Blinken said, “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.”
They must make a decision, and they must make it swiftly. I have faith that they will choose well,” Blinken said.
The US Secretary of State said that “completion” of the US-Saudi security agreement for Israel normalization is imminent.
According to him, the US is nearing completion of the security agreement with Saudi Arabia, which would be made available if and when it achieves peace with Israel. Blinken said in Riyadh that “I think the work that Saudi Arabia and the United States have been doing together in terms of our own agreements is potentially very close to completion.”
Blinken said that the US has not yet seen a plan that provides safety to the more over a million people and internally displaced Palestinians who are now in Rafah, in reference to the military operation in Rafah that the US is attempting to dissuade Israel from carrying out.
“A plan that instills confidence in the ability to protect civilians effectively has not yet been seen,” Blinken said during a World Economic Forum gathering in Riyadh.
