US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, where the two leaders discussed post-war plans for Gaza, including steps to create a state Palestinian.
Wednesday’s visit is part of the top US diplomat’s fourth trip to the region since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza on October 7. After the meeting, Blinken made a surprise trip to Bahrain, while Abbas met with leaders of neighboring countries in Jordan.
Blinken’s arrival in Ramallah was greeted by a group of protesters who held signs reading “Stop the Genocide,” “Free Palestine” and “Blinken Out.” Some clashed with Palestinian security forces in riot gear.
Blinken discussed efforts to “minimize harm to civilians” in Gaza and increase the delivery of aid inside the besieged enclave, according to a US State Department statement, points that he had mentioned the day before during a visit to Israel.
He also expressed support for Palestinian statehood and encouraged “administrative reforms” of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the State Department added. The AP said Abbas told Blinken that no Palestinians should be displaced from Gaza or the West Bank.
Hamas, meanwhile, rejected Blinken’s visit to the region. “The purpose of the visit was to support the security of the occupation. There is no difference between Israel and the Americans,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told the Reuters news agency.
In a statement, Hamas also said that the US official’s “attempts to justify the genocide committed by the Israeli occupying army against Palestinian civilians… are miserable attempts to wash their hands of the bloody criminal occupation.” children, women and elderly people in Gaza. .
In three months of war, more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli bombardments. The war was sparked after fighters from Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people.
Post-war Gaza
Since the start of the war, the United States has repeatedly stated that the PA should govern Gaza once Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas.
The PA, which exercises limited autonomy in the occupied West Bank, lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in 2007. Its popularity in the Palestinian territories has declined over the years.
After visiting Bahrain later Wednesday, Blinken said he discussed the role regional powers will play in the post-conflict Gaza Strip and efforts to bring countries in the region together. He added that this would happen in a way that “ensures Israel’s security and also paves the way for the Palestinians to a state of their own.”
Blinken also said Abbas was willing to “go ahead and engage in some of these efforts” and was willing to “reform” the Palestinian Authority so it can take control. of a united Gaza Strip and an occupied West Bank.
Blinken declined to describe how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet responded to his call for Palestinian statehood. He said Israel would have to make “tough decisions, tough choices” to take advantage of the opportunity offered by regional integration.
“Extremist settler violence carried out with impunity, settlement expansion, demolitions, expulsions, all make Israel’s task of achieving lasting peace and security harder, not easier,” he said. he declared during a press conference.
Since October 7, violence in the occupied West Bank has reached levels not seen in nearly two decades. Since then, at least 314 Palestinians, including 81 minors, have been killed, according to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Later Wednesday, Abbas was in Jordan to meet King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who stressed at the end of an Arab summit in Aqaba that pressure must be increased to end “aggression » of Israel against Gaza and protect civilians there.
In a palace statement, the two leaders rejected any Israeli plan to separate the fate of Hamas-controlled Gaza from that of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, adding that the two entities formed the basis of a future Palestinian state.
Jordan and Egypt also reiterated their rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands. A statement issued by El-Sissi’s office said the international community must show a “decisive stance” to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
According to Egypt, the situation developed as Israel’s war against Hamas pushed most of Gaza’s residents south toward the Egyptian border.
Arab leaders confirmed “their total rejection of any attempt to reoccupy parts of Gaza and the need to allow its population to return home,” the statement added.
Blinken’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories comes after visiting Washington’s allies in the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who he said want closer relations with Israel , but only if it includes a “practical path” to a Palestinian agreement. State.