Israel lowers number of hostages to be released to 33
Jerusalem PostApr 29
Blinken Visits Saudi Arabia, Urges Hamas to Accept Truce Deal
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The Facts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas to accept the recent "extraordinarily generous" peace proposal from Israel as he spoke at a special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Riyadh on Monday.
He also stated that the conflict in Gaza is "arguably the worst crisis in Middle East since 1948," adding that the resulting "terrible human suffering" could have been avoided if Hamas had "put down its weapons and given back the hostages."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
With the backing of both the US and UK, Israel has softened its stance significantly — dropping its demand from the release of 40 hostages to 33 in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and a truce that would last more than a month. Both sides desperately want a ceasefire, so it's time for Hamas to accept this generous offer.
Establishment-critical narrative
Israel isn't willingly making these offers, it's just being told to do so as public backlash increases. After decades of oppression and a deadly collective punishment since Oct 7, only a two-state solution can bring calm to the Middle East. Regional leaders have helped as much as they possibly could — now it's time for Israel to give a humanitarian hand.
Nerd narrative
There is a 34% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.