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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sharply criticised countries for not pressuring Hamas to give up its weapons, cease hiding behind civilians, and surrender. Raising a question, Blinken said that many nations are calling for an end to the current conflict, but how is it possible that there are no demands made of the aggressor?
While addressing a press briefing, he said, “What is striking to me is that even as, again, we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see, I hear virtually no one saying–demanding of Hamas that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that. This would have been over a month ago, six weeks ago, if Hamas had done that,” as quoted by news agency ANI.
He further added, “How can it be that there are no demands made of the aggressor and only demands made of the victim?”
Blinken’s remarks coincide with ongoing negotiations by the UN Security Council on a resolution that would suspend hostilities and encourage the delivery of greater humanitarian supplies to the devastated Gaza Strip, CNN reported.
The war sparked by Hamas’ deadly 7 October rampage and hostage-taking in Israel has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians so far. The war has also pushed Gaza’s health sector into collapse. Only nine of its 36 health facilities are still partially functioning, all located in the south, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, Israel has said that it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas militants from northern Gaza, but that months of fighting lie ahead in the south.
Coming back to Blinken, he added, “Understandably, everyone would like to see this conflict end as quickly as possible,” adding, “if it ends with Hamas remaining in place and having the capacity and the stated intent to repeat October 7th again and again and again, that’s not in the interests of Israel; it’s not in the interests of the region; it’s not in the interests of the world.”
The US voted against a cease-fire request at the larger UN General Assembly earlier this month and has previously blocked proposals in the UNSC, CNN reported. Nonetheless, senior US officials, like President Joe Biden, have urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take more significant actions to preserve innocent lives while waging his campaign against Hamas in reaction to the growing number of civilian deaths in Gaza as a result of Israel’s response.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Published: 22 Dec 2023, 08:07 AM IST
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