US, China stumble on Hamas in efforts to seek peace in Middle East

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog talk in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 1, 2024.

U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate Hamas diplomatically have run up against the reality that a cease-fire and the release of 129 Israeli hostages cannot be achieved without engaging the group responsible for the massacre of some 1,200 people on October 7.