Blinken: ‘Every action’ by Hamas ‘making it worse’ for Palestinians, Israelis

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that “every action” taken by militant group Hamas is worsening the situation for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Blinken made the rounds on Sunday morning news shows to offer the latest insights into the ongoing conflict in Israel after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a multifaceted attack on Israel on Saturday. He warned on numerous shows Sunday that Hamas’s actions will be dangerous for both sides, which comes as the latest death toll stands with at least 600 dead in Israel and another 300 dead in Gaza.

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Dana Bash asked Blinken if the attacks are part of a plan to disrupt a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. He said that the attacks could have “been part of the motivation,” before calling for normalization in the region.

“There are really two paths for the region,” Blinken said. “One is a path of much greater integration, much greater stability, and a resolution of the challenges between Israelis and Palestinians, including equal measures of democracy, of opportunity, of justice, and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians, or the path that Hamas is engaged in, a path of terror, of wreaking havoc in people’s lives, and of doing nothing to better the lives of Palestinians.”

“On the contrary, every action that Hamas has taken is only making it worse for Palestinians, as well as Israelis,” he added. 

He also dodged numerous questions on whether the attacks were a result of an Israeli intelligence failure. NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Blinken on “Meet the Press” on whether it was an intelligence failure, but Blinken instead said they would have more time to investigate the causes later on. 

“We will have plenty — we will have plenty of time to — the Israelis will have plenty of time to look into that. All of us will have time to look into that. The focus now has to be on making sure that Israel has what it needs to deal with this attack and to make sure that its citizens are safe and secure. That’s the entire focus,” Blinken said.