Washington Post: The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in the Japanese capital witnessed disagreements and quarrels regarding the war in Gaza

The Washington Post revealed, according to informed officials, that divisions regarding the development of events in the Gaza Strip appeared during the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers, Wednesday, in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

The European Union’s chief diplomat and foreign policy official, Josep Borrell, quarreled with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who defended Israel’s declared goal of its aggression against the Gaza Strip, which was to eliminate Hamas.

The Washington Post indicated that US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, participated in the meeting, presenting the most comprehensive vision to date by the administration of US President Joe Biden on how to ensure the stability and safety of the Gaza Strip after the current siege and bloody conflict.

Blinken said after the meeting, that those calling for a ceasefire now have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable outcome that is likely to be achieved by leaving Hamas in the Strip, where it has the capacity and the intention to repeat the events of last October 7, over and over again.

The Washington Post spoke about the criticism that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was subjected to for not presenting a clear plan for what would happen in the Gaza Strip if Israel succeeds in its goal of overthrowing the Hamas movement, which has run the Strip since 2007.

US officials, on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that Netanyahu’s announcement, earlier this week, that “Israel could assume responsibility for Gaza’s security for an indefinite period raised red flags for the Biden administration,” pointing out that the US administration’s position is Israel needs to avoid any suggestion of an open-ended occupation of Gaza.

Blinken told reporters in Tokyo, after his meeting with the Europeans, Canadians and Japanese, that the only way to ensure that this crisis doesn’t happen again is to begin creating the conditions to achieve lasting peace and security, and to take this into account now for our diplomatic efforts calling for expanding the call to Humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip.

In his speech, Blinken stressed that there will be no reoccupation of the Gaza Strip after the end of the ongoing conflict, and there will be no reduction in its territory.

The broad outlines of the post-conflict vision, which the Washington Post explained were presented by the chief American diplomat, came amid growing concerns about Netanyahu’s handling of the situation, as it confirmed the concern of US officials that the Israeli prime minister is sending mixed messages regarding his commitment to reconstruction Gaza, which is run by the Palestinians.

US officials said that some of Blinken’s warnings were also a public response against private ideas raised by the Israelis, including the possibility of ensuring Israeli security through a buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and that it would likely be separated from the territory of the Strip.

The Washington Post also recalled the Israeli proposal, in the first days of the war, when it demanded that the residents of the Gaza Strip must leave it en masse for Egypt for the duration of the war against Hamas.

US officials confirmed that this idea was rejected by the Arab countries and the Biden administration due to sensitivities regarding that Israel may not allow displaced residents to return, stressing that it’s no longer a topic of discussion by Israelis.

The Washington Post touched on the aggravation of US-Israeli differences, indicating that the US refusal to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip is merely the latest tension between the Israeli government and its largest military supporter.

The Washington Post also pointed out that some European countries echoed Arab leaders’ calls for a ceasefire, noting that this means a permanent cessation of fighting, more than a temporary cessation, despite the fact that the Europeans are divided, as some leaders there share with Biden.