Outgoing Blinken spends final press conference defending US policy on Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent the better part of his final press conference with journalists defending the Biden administration’s policy on Gaza, which had failed until this week to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Blinken was interrupted twice by two different people in the briefing room, both physically removed by security officers as they shouted at the top US diplomat, accusing him of backing the killing of civilians in Gaza.

Asked about the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday, which is set to begin Sunday, Blinken said he fully expected the agreement to be implemented. But he said US officials were “tying up loose ends” on the deal and that he was “very confident” implementation would begin on time.

Blinken repeatedly blamed the delay in reaching a deal on Hamas. Asked about his biggest disappointment as Secretary of State, Blinken said he wished the ceasefire had been reached earlier. “There are always the things that you didn’t get done. There’s always the could have, would, or should have that you ask yourself,” Blinken said from the State Department.

“I wish we could have gotten the ceasefire agreement months ago, of course. The suffering and the lives lost since could have been avoided if we’d gotten this over the line sooner,” he said.

Critics have said the Biden administration was too harsh on Israel, while others have said the policy allowed for the unnecessary killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

While admitting that there had been “real differences” with the way the Netanyahu government conducted its military operations in Gaza, Blinken said Hamas was betting on international pressure against Israel to get them a better deal.

Ultimately, following the election of Donald Trump, momentum picked up for the revival of talks on a deal. His special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, played a central role in recent weeks to push the deal through.

Blinken said he appreciated and applauded Witkoff for “the very good work… working closely with us… in helping to get this [ceasefire deal] over the line.”

Trump vowed that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages held by Hamas were not released by the time he took office. Israeli media reports also suggest that Witkoff’s pressure on Netanyahu to accept the deal also was a key factor.