Pentagon on Claims U.S. Scolds Israel When Hamas Ditches Talks: ‘Everyone Has to Come to the Table to Agree’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh responded to charges that the pressure seems to always be on Israel to change when Hamas is the one holding up a ceasefire by stating that diplomacy isn’t easy and “everyone has to come to the table to agree to those terms.”

Co-host Dana Perino read from a Wall Street Journal editorial that said that diplomacy hasn’t worked and Hamas has walked away from ceasefire talks and then stated, “I just want to point out that it does seem that Israel is constantly being the one told that they need to change, but Hamas is the one that is holding out and now saying that they’re not going to talk at all.”

Singh responded, “Well, look, diplomacy takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of effort, and there’s a lot going on in the region. And so, part of getting the ceasefire deal in place is to de-escalate tensions. Did we say it was going to be easy? No, it’s going to take a lot of work. And that’s why you’re seeing my counterparts, my colleagues at the State Department — you’ve seen the president engage his counterparts from Qatar to Egypt, and just yesterday you saw a joint statement put out by the White House with our European allies pushing forward for a deal. But that means everyone has to come to the table to agree to those terms. It’s hard work, but it’s ongoing.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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