Finish Gaza deal now, Israel opposition leader says in US

Israel’s opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid delivers a statement to the press following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department  © ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP

“I believe that any political interests should be set aside for this. This is way more important,” Lapid told reporters outside the State Department after meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Israel as a nation will not heal unless we will bring them back home,” Lapid said of the hostages. “This is essential to our existence.”

“It’s doable,” he said. “We can do a hostage deal — and we need to do it.”

Lapid, a former prime minister, renewed his promise not to work to topple Netanyahu’s government — which relies on support from far-right members — if he goes ahead with the deal.

While describing Hamas as a “terrible terrorist organization,” Lapid said that Netanyahu’s government “should do more” to reach a deal to free hostages.

US President Joe Biden on May 31 put forward a plan for a ceasefire in the bloody Gaza war that would include a six-month freeze in fighting and a release of captives.

Blinken has previously insisted that Netanyahu was on board with US proposals to bridge gaps and complete the deal, which enjoys wide support from the Israeli public.

Netanyahu has publicly rejected US assessments that the deal is nearly complete and has insisted on an Israeli military presence on the Egypt-Gaza border.

Netanyahu’s stance on the so-called Philadelphi Corridor has angered Egypt, the first Arab country to make peace with Israel and a key mediator in the crisis.

The Philadelphi Corridor and details on the release of captives remain the main sticking points to a deal, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

The United States is working “expeditiously” on a new proposal to bridge remaining gaps, Miller said.

“We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain,” Miller said.

“We’re trying to see that it’s a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement.”

AFP/FRANCE24