U.S. Secretary of State Moves Closer to Cease-Fire Deal Between Israel and Hamas: NPR

Flares fired by the Israeli army north of Nuseirat are pictured from Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on July 1.

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Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has an important task: in a context of conflicts and tensions around the world, he is the leader of US foreign policy in the world.

At the heart of this work, he says, is the ability to recognize the humanity of the person sitting at the table, whether friend or foe.

“If we stop or minimize the terrible dehumanization that we see in many parts of the world, then … I know that the best of humanity is not only possible, it will happen,” he said Friday.

In a wide-ranging conversation with All things Considered At the Aspen Security Forum hosted by Mary Louise Kelly, Secretary Blinken weighed in on everything from the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, to the war in Ukraine and what the United States is doing to repatriate Americans detained in Russia.

Watch the full conversation in the YouTube video below:

The following interview excerpt has been edited for length and clarity.

Excerpts from the interview

Mary Louise Kelly: Our ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said this week that “ceasefire negotiations are moving in the right direction.” Is she right? And what is her basis for this?

Antony Blinken: What Linda said is true. I believe we are within the 10-meter line and we are moving toward the finish line to reach an agreement that would produce a ceasefire, bring the hostages home, and put us on the right path to try to build lasting peace and stability.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 17, 2024.

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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Kelly: And again, what is this based on, other than hope?

Blinken: Hope is a good thing, but it’s not enough. No, it’s based on reality. And the reality is this: A month ago, President Biden put forward a detailed proposal to achieve a ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and the ability to move forward. And what happened next was quite extraordinary. The entire world came together to support this proposal, with country after country standing up and endorsing it. The United Nations Security Council, where Linda did a tremendous job, came together – something we don’t see very often these days – (voting) 14 to none, with Russia abstaining, to support this deal. And the result was, after a lot of lobbying and diplomacy in the weeks that followed, that we have an agreement on the framework that the president has proposed, both by Israel and by Hamas. The question now is to finish negotiating some of the crucial details. There are still issues to be resolved, to be negotiated. That is exactly what we are doing.

Kelly: Another Middle East Update: Is the Two-State Solution Dead?

Blinken: Not only is he not dead, he cannot be.

Kelly: It is very difficult to find a path to optimism given that Israelis are now resisting – the government, ordinary citizens – Gaza is being destroyed, settlers are taking over more and more land in the West Bank. Where can we find hope?

Blinken: You know, John McCain (the late senator) used to say that it’s always the darkest moment before it’s all dark. If you keep that in mind, it’s not a bad idea for the work that we’re all trying to do. But listen, there are fundamental realities that we can’t escape. Those fundamental realities are this: Between Gaza and the West Bank, there are over 5 million Palestinians and about 7 million Israeli Jews. Neither of them is going anywhere. The Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. The Jews aren’t going anywhere.

There has to be a compromise, but a compromise that does two things: it brings lasting peace and security to the Israelis who desperately need it, and it respects the Palestinian right to self-determination. And with every right comes responsibility. The responsibility to build a state that will not be a threat to Israel. It will not be a Hamas state, it will not be like Lebanon, with Hezbollah ruling the country. So there are important things that have to happen for a state to become a reality. But I firmly believe that yes, that must be the future.

And by the way, the two biggest opponents of the two-state solution, who are they? Iran and Hamas. So the strongest possible rebuke to Iran and Hamas would be the creation of two states. At every stage of the history of this issue, we remember the Oslo Accords. Who tried to disrupt those agreements? Hamas. When the Arabs launched the Arab Peace Initiative and moved toward recognizing Israel, who unfortunately managed to disrupt that initiative? Hamas, with one of the most horrific terrorist attacks that we have seen in Israel before October 7. So if you look at the logic of all this, it is compelling. And there is something else. There is a different future. And we have seen the outlines of it – almost in embryonic form, but it is there – a different future for Israel that is realizing perhaps its number one goal since the founding of the state, which is acceptance in the region, normal relations with all of its neighbors. We see it through the work that we do on normalization. We saw that when Iran attacked Israel, and for the first time, a direct attack by Iran and Israel, the United States, but not only the United States, the European countries and the countries of the region came to Israel’s defense. So we can see a future in which Israel is integrated into the region, where it is more secure, where the Palestinians are realizing their aspirations for statehood, and where the enemies of that future, Iran and its various proxies, are isolated.

Rescuers clear the rubble of the Ohmatdyt children’s hospital destroyed after a missile attack in kyiv on July 8.

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Kelly: Thank you for giving hope. On Ukraine, I will start with a reason for hope: NATO has recently increased its military support. Much of the ammunition shortage has been resolved. Dozens of F-16 fighter jets are on their way to Ukraine and should be operational this summer.

I would like to know what it would take for the United States to change its policy on the distance at which Ukraine can fire weapons toward Russia. And to answer this question, I reached out to colleagues in our Kiev office, including Ukrainian colleagues, and I was curious to know what they would like to ask you. They want to know whether Washington wants Ukraine to win or not?

Blinken: I think that looking back over the past two and a half years, it is hard to conclude that anyone has done more to ensure Ukraine’s success than the United States. And that will continue as long as we have a say.

Kelly: That’s true. But they point out that they are being asked to fight with one hand tied behind their back.

Blinken: At every step of the way, we’ve tried to adapt and adjust to the realities on the ground, to what’s actually happening, to make sure that the Ukrainians have what they need when they need it. But oftentimes, it’s not as simple as it seems. Let me give you an example. At different times over the course of these two and a half years, one weapon system or another has been in the news. It could be F-16s, which, as you pointed out, are being delivered, or an Abrams tank, or some other system. And there seems to be this binary question: “Oh, we give it to them or we don’t give it to them.” But it’s not as simple as that. It’s not enough to give them a weapon system. They have to be able to use it. They have to be able to maintain it. It has to be part of a coherent strategy. And so as we’ve done these things, and (U.S. Defense Secretary) Lloyd Austin has done an extraordinary job of bringing together over 50 countries to support the defense of Ukraine, but also working through each of these decisions.

Kelly: I would like to ask a question about the Americans detained in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journalwho was sentenced this morning to 16 years in prison, as well as Vladimir Kara-Murza, who received the Pulitzer Prize this year for his columns for The Washington PostHow to bring them home?

Blinken: I think you had the U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, here a few days ago. Roger and his team are working every day to repatriate Americans who are wrongfully detained, wherever they are. And of course, with respect to Evan, Paul Whelan in Russia, other Americans, we are literally working every day to see what we can do to repatriate them. We have a pretty extraordinary record over the last three and a half years of repatriating about 30 Americans from various places around the world where they were wrongfully detained. All I can tell you is that we are working on it. We are working on it right now, and we will not stop until we repatriate Evan, Paul Whelan, and others.