Secretary of State Blinken says Israeli occupation is 'unacceptable for Gaza's future'
FILE PHOTO: Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Washington on Friday.Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Hamas responded to President Joe Biden's cease-fire proposal by "trying to impose new conditions, moving the line, coming back on positions it already agreed to, and trying to get more."
"One way or another, when this conflict ends, it cannot and must not end with a vacuum," Blinken continued. "If we're not ready, if the region's not ready, then you're going to have a vacuum ... Vacuums tend to get filled by bad things before they get filled with good things."
Blinken added that "There are three things that are unacceptable for Gaza's future: An Israeli occupation; Hamas perpetuating its leadership; or chaos, anarchy, lawlessness."
On Lebanon, Blinken said that while "None of the main actors want a war ... On the other hand, you have forces and momentum that may be leading in that direction."
Blinken added that an end to the war in Gaza is "critical" to reaching an agreement between Israel and Lebanon through diplomacy, saying that "Hezbollah has tied what it's doing to the situation in Gaza and has said it will stop firing in Israel if there's a cease-fire."