Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Antony Blinken of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with the top U.S. diplomat in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Abbas’ spokesman said Ceasefire as Gaza death toll reaches 10,000.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reported from Ramallah and said the meeting between Blinken and Abbas lasted less than an hour.
“At the end of the meeting there were no statements from both parties. What we do know is that Abbas would have asked for a ceasefire, as other Arab leaders have already asked. But Blinken rebuffed those requests and would have done the same with Abbas,” Smith said.
The rising death toll in Gaza has brought U.S. diplomatic efforts under further scrutiny from its Arab allies, who are increasingly frustrated by the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territories.
Israel, continuing its military offensive against Gaza, killed more than 50 people in airstrikes late Saturday.
During a press conference in Amman, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed that Arab countries want an immediate ceasefire and warned that “the entire region is drowning in a sea of hatred that will shape future generations.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi hold a press conference in Amman, Jordan, on November 4, 2023 [Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters] (Portal) “We do not accept that this is self-defense,” Safadi said, referring to Israel’s months-long assault on Gaza that killed at least 9,488 Palestinians, more than a third of them children.
“It cannot be justified under any pretext and it will not bring security to Israel, it will not bring peace to the region.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, whose country acts as the sole conduit for foreigners fleeing Gaza and for aid to enter, called for an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.”
Rare public divide
In a rare public disagreement with his Jordanian counterpart, Blinken said the US opposed a ceasefire because it would give Hamas more breathing room.
“Our view now is that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place so they could regroup and repeat,” Blinken said she did on Oct. 7, referring to the group’s surprise attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Blinken, on his third visit to the region in a month, tried to walk a diplomatic tightrope, pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a temporary “humanitarian pause” and pushing for the protection of Palestinian civilians while also pushing for protection dealt with Arab leaders who were pushing for a complete ceasefire.
Blinken’s call for a “humanitarian pause” was deemed too weak by Arab leaders and rejected by Netanyahu, who insisted Israel’s offensive must continue at “full force.”
“I have made it clear that we are continuing with full force and that Israel rejects a temporary ceasefire that does not include the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Saturday.
Israel appears to have made that message clear by bombing several United Nations-run schools and refugee centers during Blinken’s visit. The latest attack – an attack on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza early Sunday – left at least 47 people dead.
“Yes to war”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said: “It’s clear there is dissatisfaction with how the United States is handling this.”
“Especially if this crisis continues [on] the humanitarian side, and if this crisis takes us back to the old pre-October 7 containment policy, I think that the American role here, whether right or wrong, will not be seen as effective,” said Anwar Gargash. Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the UAE.
Al Jazeera political analyst Marwan Bishara argued that Blinken’s calls for a “humanitarian pause” without a more serious push to contain Israel are hollow.
“What does a humanitarian pause mean,” Bishara asked. “That means you give us a few minutes to start bombing again. How is this helpful? How does this bring peace? How does this restore credibility? How does this stop the bloodshed?”
“When Blinken says ‘No ceasefire’ over and over again, he is saying ‘Yes’ to war,” Bishara added. “Blinken accepted and parroted the Israeli position that we will fight the war to the end.”
Blinken (R), Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (L) and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi hold a news conference in Amman, Jordan, on November 4, 2023 [Jonathan Ernst/Pool via Reuters]
Meeting with Abbas
Blinken faced another diplomatic challenge on Sunday when he met with Abbas in Ramallah, his first trip to the occupied West Bank since the war began.
The State Department kept the visit secret and refused to confirm it until Blinken had physically left the West Bank. Nevertheless, news of his arrival leaked, leading to demonstrations against the US visit and support of Israel in the occupied territories.
Aside from pleasantries, neither Abbas nor Blinken were seen greeting each other on camera, nor did they make any public statements.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to ensuring life-saving humanitarian assistance and essential services in Gaza and emphasized that Palestinians should not be forcibly displaced.
Blinken and Abbas also discussed efforts to restore calm and stability in the West Bank, including by ending extremist violence against Palestinians, Miller said, referring to violence committed by Israeli settlers.
Blinken had previously said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) could play a government role in Gaza in the future as a way out of the conflict, but it was unclear whether the issue figured in his discussions with Abbas.
Talks with Erdogan
After Blinken’s meeting with Abbas, he immediately headed to Turkey to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had rebuilt relations with Israel before the Gaza war.
Their relations appear to be deteriorating due to Erdogan’s strong pro-Palestinian stance and admonishment of Israel’s wartime behavior.
“Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We wrote him off,” Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying on Saturday as Ankara recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Israel’s foreign minister responded to the move, saying Erdogan had chosen to “side with Hamas” rather than Israel.
The Turkish government’s decision to recall its ambassador while the State of Israel is in the midst of a war of self-defense imposed on it by a terrorist organization worse than ISIS is another step by the Turkish president to side with the terrorist organization Hamas. … pic.twitter.com/uPsOKt0Huh
— Lior Haiat 🇮🇱 (@LiorHaiat) November 4, 2023