US State Sec Blinken urges Netanyahu to ‘chart new path forward’ in Gaza, publicly reject siege of northern Strip

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday for about two and a half hours in Jerusalem to discuss the situation in Gaza and Lebanon.

During their conversation, Blinken reportedly asked Netanyahu for assurances that Israel was not planning to impose a siege of northern Gaza, as outlined in the “General’s Plan” that had been discussed in the cabinet.

According to a report in the Times of Israel, Netanyahu assured Blinken that Israel is not implementing a siege of the northern Gaza Strip but declined to make a public statement to that effect.

The official readout from their meeting did not specifically mention such a discussion taking place, but noted “the importance of charting a new path forward in the post-conflict period that allows Palestinians to rebuild their lives and provides governance, security, and reconstruction for Gaza.”

The official statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) only stated that the “two sides discussed the issue of the governing framework in Gaza on the day after the war.”

During a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that the U.S. rejects any discussion of resettling Gaza with Jewish settlements.

Patel was asked by a reporter, “Is Israel committing the so-called generals’ plan that aims to depopulate Gaza and resettle it by Israeli settlers?”

He responded, “That’s the kind of rhetoric that we unequivocally reject. We have been clear numerous times that what we are working towards and what we want to see is Palestinian-led governance in Gaza and a Gaza that is unified with the West Bank under what we hope is a revitalized Palestinian Authority.”

The coalition government has been clear that it rejects any role of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the governance of Gaza due to its support for terror attacks on the Jewish population and Israeli civilians – a position currently shared by several opposition parties.

Netanyahu and Blinken agreed on the potential for positive developments regarding the hostages' situation following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.

“The Prime Minister emphasized that the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is likely to have a positive influence on the return of the hostages, the achieving of all the objectives of the war and the day after the war,” the PMO stated.

According to the U.S. State Department, Blinken “underscored the need to capitalize on Israel’s successful action to bring Yahya Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Despite Israeli efforts to renew the hostage-release negotiations, and offers of amnesty or financial reward for Palestinians freeing captured Israeli hostages, there has apparently been no progress since Sinwar’s death.

Notably, while U.S. statements about the meeting refer to the end of the Gaza conflict, the statements from the PMO do not.

Netanyahu appears committed to the original war goals, which include the military and political destruction of Hamas. With the IDF's recent military successes against Hamas and Hezbollah, he may have little political motivation to change course.