Patel Asked if Netanyahu Is Serious About Hostage Deal After Negotiator Haniyeh's Death

2 months ago

At a State Department press briefing on Wednesday, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel was asked about the death of Hamas' chief hostage negotiator Ismail Haniyeh.

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Transcript

00:00But the deal that is underway, the negotiations – now, is there any doubt that the Israeli

00:09prime minister has taken almost every step to scuttle the negotiations over the past

00:13few months?

00:14Do you have any doubt in your mind that he has taken those steps?

00:15MR RATHKE.

00:16I'm not going to speak for Prime Minister Netanyahu, Said, and I will let him speak

00:23for himself.

00:24But in general, what I can say is that we have seen the Israelis engaged and constructive

00:29in conversations that we have been having about a ceasefire deal, and so we continue

00:34to believe both that a ceasefire deal is both achievable and urgent, and it is something

00:39that our partners in Israel want.

00:41I am not going to speak to the specificity of the ongoing process beyond that.

00:46Okay.

00:47But Mr. Haniyeh was the chief negotiator.

00:49He was the chief negotiator involved in these negotiations.

00:52So when Israel first kills his grandchildren, then kills all his children, then kills him,

00:58does that send, like, a clear message that they don't want these negotiations?

01:02He is the chief negotiator, correct?

01:03MR RATHKE.

01:04Said, I will say again, as I've said to Daphne and others, I'm not going to speculate

01:07on this as it relates to how it may or may not impact a ceasefire deal.

01:14What I can say is that the United States unequivocally is focused on continuing its work to close

01:21the gaps.

01:22We think that getting a deal done is not just in the United States' interest, it's

01:26in the region's interest, it's in Israel's interest, it's in the interest of the

01:29Palestinian people.

01:30We are talking about creating the conditions so the remaining hostages can return home,

01:35that there can be an influx of humanitarian aid, and getting this region out of this endless

01:41cycle of violence.

01:42So that's what we're going to remain focused on.

01:44And as I said to Olivia and others, when it comes to continuing to engage in these conversations,

01:51there continue to be ways in which we can continue to engage with Hamas and Israel appropriately

01:57as it relates to the contours of the deal.

01:59And that work, I have no doubt, will continue.

02:02Okay.

02:03Let me ask you a basic question.

02:05As far as the negotiations are concerned, is the killing of Mr. Aniyeh good, bad, or

02:10indifferent in your view?

02:11I am not going to speculate, again, for what is probably now the 15th time I am not going

02:16to speculate on –

02:17Okay.

02:18Just saying, how is it likely to impact –

02:19Again, I am just not going to speculate on that.

02:21What I can speak to is what the United States is doing and what the United States is focused

02:25on.

02:26And what we are doing and what we are focused on is working to close the gaps.

02:29We continue to believe a deal is achievable.

02:32We think it's urgent, and we continue to work at this around the clock.

02:36I'm going to move on, Said.

02:37Okay.

02:38My last.

02:39I promise.

02:40I promise that it's my last.

02:41My last.

02:42My last.

02:43Yeah.

02:44Okay.

02:45Do you feel that killing Aniyeh complicates the negotiations further?

02:47Said, you literally just asked me a version of that question.

02:48I'm just asking you –

02:49Really, go ahead.

02:50Go ahead, Willie.

02:51Go ahead, Willie.

02:52Go ahead, Willie.

02:53Go ahead, Willie.

Patel Asked if Netanyahu Is Serious About Hostage Deal After Negotiator Haniyeh's Death

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