Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said yesterday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had accepted a “bridging proposal” aimed at closing the gap between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire deal for Gaza. Hamas officials did not immediately comment, but they have called the proposal slanted toward Israel.
A spokesman for Netanyahu confirmed that the prime minister had told Blinken that Israel had agreed to the proposal, which U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators presented last week. Blinken discussed it during a three-hour meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
What’s next: Negotiations are expected to resume this week in Egypt. Blinken said the talks represented “probably the best, maybe the last” chance to bring the Israeli hostages home and “put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.”
