NNA -nbsp;US secretary of state Antonynbsp;Blinkennbsp;on Thursday urged bothnbsp;Israelnbsp;andnbsp;Hamasnbsp;to finalize anbsp;Gazanbsp;truce, standing by US assessments that 90% of a deal was ready.
Blinken said that the United States would be offering further ideas in coming days through mediators Egypt and Qatar in hopes of sealing annbsp;agreement.
Israeli Prime Ministernbsp;Benjamin Netanyahunbsp;in an interview with Fox News on Thursday denied a US official#39;s assessment that 90% of a deal was ready, saying quot;it#39;s not close.quot;
But Blinken repeated the assessment at a news conference during a visit to Haiti, saying, quot;I think based on what I#39;ve seen, 90% is agreed.quot;
quot;It#39;s really incumbent on both parties to get to yes on these remaining issues,quot; Blinken said.
quot;As close as I believe we are to getting anbsp;ceasefirenbsp;agreement, every day that goes by where it is not finalized and the parties don#39;t say, #39;yes, period,#39; is a day in which something else happens, and there is an intervening event which simply pushes things off and runs the risk of derailing what is a pretty fragile apple cart,quot; he said.
The United States in recent weeks has pushed a proposal to bridge gaps between both sides, which include disagreements over Netanyahu#39;s insistence on leaving some Israeli troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Blinken said he believed that Netanyahu, who has put a top priority on normalizing diplomatic relations with Arab states, could still reach a historic deal with Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam#39;s two holiest shrines.
Blinken did not rule out an agreement before Biden leaves office in January.
quot;I think if we can get a ceasefire in Gaza, there remains an opportunity through the balance of this administration to move forward on normalization,quot; he said. — AFP
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