Israel and Hamas are "very close" to a ceasefire and hostage agreement, and the US is hopeful it can "get it over the line in the time that we have left," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a joint press conference on Wednesday in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Blinken's trip to France is slated to be the last of his international travels before President-elect Trump's inauguration in less than two weeks.
If Israel and Hamas don't come to an agreement, President Biden's ceasefire plan will be handed over to the incoming Trump administration, Blinken said.
"And I believe that when we get that deal – and we’ll get it – it will be on the basis of the plan that President Biden put before the world back in May," he added.
Blinken said the US has done an incredible amount of work on the hostage-ceasefire agreement in terms of the "necessary arrangements" for Gaza’s security, its administration and its reconstruction.
"And more broadly, the work, the investment we’ve made in transformative arrangements for the Middle East, starting with the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, all of that is ready to go if the opportunity presents itself with a ceasefire in Gaza as well as understandings on a pathway forward for the Palestinians," Blinken said. " So there’s tremendous opportunity there."
Efforts in Lebanon
Earlier in the press conference, Barrot commended Blinken's actions in Lebanon and the combined efforts of the US and France to facilitate Israel's ceasefire with Hezbollah.
"We joined our efforts to contribute or facilitate the election of a president," Barrot said. "The vote will be taking place tomorrow, and we very much hope that a president will be elected in Lebanon so that Lebanon can continue with its institution in full place."
Blinken echoed his counterpart's sentiment saying the Lebanese ceasefire is holding and "creating the possibility for a much different and much better future for the country as well as for its relationship with Israel. "
Challenges remain, Blinken said, but so far the mechanism put forth by France and the US is functioning well as more than one third of Israeli forces have withdrawn from Lebanon.
"I think the ceasefire can be a bridge to a durable peace," Blinken continued, "that allows people on both sides of the border – Israel and Lebanon – to return to their homes, to return to their lives, and to move forward in greater peace and security."