Blinken says Gaza cease-fire agreement moving towards 'goal line'

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said the US is driving towards the "goal line" of getting a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

"We’re inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line on getting an agreement that would produce a cease-fire, get the hostages home, and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability," Blinken told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

However, Blinken said that the "last 10 yards are often the hardest".

"So I don't want to be in any way naive about it," he said, acknowledging that some issues still need to be resolved.

"We continue to believe, that the quickest way to bring this war to an end to bring relief to the people of Gaza who so desperately need it to put Gaza itself to put the entire region on a better path is through an agreement on a cease-fire," he added.

- Two-state solution

When asked if the future of a two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian question is dead, Blinken responded: "Not only is not that, it can't be."

Blinken said the fundamental realities cannot be ignored, noting the presence of over 5 million Palestinians and 7 million Israeli Jews.

"Neither is going anywhere. Palestinians are not going anywhere. The Jews are not going anywhere. There has to be an accommodation," he said.

Blinken said the accommodation needs to bring lasting peace and security to Israelis and fulfill the right to self-determination for Palestinians.

The top US diplomat also said that the two strongest opponents of a two-state solution are Iran and Hamas, without mentioning that the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state.