This is the destruction in Gaza after Israel attacks 1:34
Washington (CNN) -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on Sunday that there will eventually be a prospect of a peaceful political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and said it must come after the "critical" ceasefire declared in the region last week. “I think there has to be. I think both parties are reminded that we have to find a way to break the cycle, because if we don't it will repeat itself at a high cost, "Blinken told CNN's Fareed Zakaria on" GPS "when asked if he thinks that there is a prospect of some kind of movement towards a genuine political solution.
In another interview with ABC News on Sunday, Blinken credited the "relentless and determined, but calm diplomacy" of the Biden administration in the region, saying it is "what got us where we needed to be."
The comments come several days after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire after more than a week of conflict that left hundreds dead, most of them Palestinians.
Blinken, who told ABC that the ceasefire was "critical," said the United States is now focused on "dealing with the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza."
"Then reconstruction, rebuilding what has been lost, and fundamentally, involving both parties to try to start making real improvements ... so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal security measures of peace and dignity," he told the chain.
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Blinken also declined to say whether the Biden administration would pursue the proposed peace deal mediated by then-President Donald Trump and spearheaded by his son-in-law and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner.
"I don't think we are in ... a place where reaching some kind of negotiation for what ultimately I think has to be the result, which is a two-state solution, is the first order of the day," he said.
"We have to start to rebuild concretely and offer some genuine hope, prospects, opportunities in people's lives."
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When asked whether the United States continues to support the plan, Blinken also declined to respond directly, saying, 'We are going to look at everything that has been done before, learn from it just as we have done in other areas, and decide what makes sense. And why not".
When he proposed the plan, Trump claimed it was a "realistic two-state solution," but the plan met almost all major Israeli demands and was immediately rejected by the Palestinians.
Blinken also criticized Hamas, saying the group has brought "nothing but ruin to the Palestinian people," and stated that President Joe Biden has been "clear that we are committed to giving Israel the means to defend itself, especially when it comes to defending itself. it deals with these indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians. '
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The secretary is scheduled to travel to the Middle East to meet with "Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts in the coming days to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians," the Department spokesman said on Thursday. of State, Ned Price, in a reading of a call between Blinken and the chancellor of Israel, Gabi Ashkenazi.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also weighed in on the matter Sunday, telling CBS News that he believes the United States needs to develop an "equitable approach" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and expressed hope that Biden is on the same page.
When asked if he thinks the Biden government is making an apology for the government of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sanders pointed to the "incredible suffering" in Gaza following the recent violent conflict and said: "We have to be pro-Israel. , but we have to be pro-Palestinian.
Sanders last week filed a resolution disapproving of the US $ 735 million worth of precision-guided weapons sales to Israel, saying he would "absolutely" like to see the same conditions imposed on US aid. United with the Palestinians to ensure that Hamas does not receive support from the country.
–CNN's Devan Cole and Ali Main contributed to this report.
Antony Blinken Israel-Palestine Conflict