Blinken lays out post-war Gaza plan to be handed to Trump team
4 Min Read
A ceasefire deal in Gaza could take place as soon as Tuesday if negotiations go positively.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks at the Atlantic Council on January 14, 2025. (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out plans for the day after in Gaza on Tuesday, saying the departing Biden administration will pass over the blueprint to President-elect Donald Trump's team to continue if the ceasefire agreement goes through.
Blinken told the Atlantic Council that Washington envisioned a reformed Palestinian Authority managing Gaza, asking foreign partners to assist in the establishment and operation of an interim administration for the strip.
Blinken claimed during his address that a security force would be built from partner nations' military and would vet Palestinian workers, asserting that the US has been "working intensely" to develop a day-after plan allowing the occupation to "fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from filling back in, and provide for Gaza's governance, security and reconstruction."
Trump and his new staff have not announced whether they would carry out the plan, but Blinken alleged that the strategy was needed, along with a "credible political horizon for Palestinians" to prevent Hamas from re-emerging.
"We assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war."
'Secretary of genocide'
Protesters continuously interrupted him, accusing him of backing "Israel's" genocide waged on Palestinians.
One called him "bloody Blinken, secretary of genocide," before being escorted out.
He claimed he respected their views and urged they allow him to finish his remarks, as they said that US officials have "vigorously" disputed the Biden administration's reaction to the war, and referring to a wave of resignations by State Department officials who have questioned the policy of continuing to provide weaponry and diplomatic backing to "Israel."
Blinken expressed that he wished he could "tell you with certainty that we got every decision right. I cannot."
Imminent Gaza ceasefire: Key details, what to expect
Negotiators in Doha could finalize a ceasefire agreement for Gaza on Tuesday, following a pivotal "breakthrough" in talks that have raised hopes of ending the ongoing Israeli war, Reuters reported.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry, on its part, said on Tuesday that negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire-prisoner exchange deal were in their "final stages".
"We do believe that we are at the final stages... certainly we are hopeful that this would lead very soon to an agreement," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news conference, adding that "until there is an announcement... we shouldn't be over-excited about what's happening right now."
It also announced that obstacles to the deal had been overcome.
"During the past months, there were underlying issues, major issues between the two parties unresolved. These issues were resolved during the talks in the past couple of weeks, and therefore we have reached a point where the major issues that were preventing a deal from happening were addressed," al-Ansari told a news conference.
Meanwhile, Hamas issued a statement revealing that it contacted and held consultations with the leaders of the Palestinian factions and informed them of the progress reached in the ongoing negotiations in Doha.
The movement affirmed that it would pursue communications and consultations until the ceasefire-prisoner exchange agreement is concluded, knowing that it is in its final stages, as per the statement.
US President Joe Biden had indicated that a ceasefire and the release of captives could be imminent.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, a final draft of the agreement was presented to both "Israel" and Hamas on Monday, after midnight discussions attended by envoys from both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.
A Palestinian source close to the talks told Reuters that the deal could be finalized as early as Tuesday if discussions proceed smoothly.
