Amidst the Gaza Crisis, US Secretary of State Blinken Meets Without Notice With The President of Palestine in the West Bank
In order to further his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while in the occupied West Bank. The visit was unexpected and happened under heavy security after Blinken had departed the West Bank. Despite the fact that no one spoke publicly after their meeting, the AP reports that it’s unclear whether this indicates that things didn’t go well.
Blinken underlined that Palestinians must not be forced evicted while restating the US commitment to providing humanitarian aid and restoring basic amenities in Gaza at the discussion. The need to put an end to extreme violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, especially from Israeli settlers, was another topic of debate.
Blinken is now touring the Middle East, having left after the October 7 commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict. His visit to Abbas is part of this trip. Prior to this, he spoke with prominent Arab leaders in Jordan and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken has said that the United States supports Israel’s right to self-defense, but he has also emphasized that the US must uphold the rules of war, protect civilians, and provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza. In order to accomplish these goals, he has suggested brief humanitarian ceasefires; however, Israel has not yet consented to this strategy.
Blinken contends that the US should not press for an early cease-fire because doing so would allow Hamas to regroup. A cease-fire has also been demanded by Arab foreign ministers, but Blinken stressed the need of humanitarian breaks that allow Israel to accomplish its goal of eliminating Hamas.
Early talks on Gaza’s postwar future center on putting an end to the bloodshed and making sure that humanitarian help is provided consistently. Arab nations have objected to playing a bigger part in ending the situation and have blamed Israel for the number of civilian casualties.
