The US Secretary of State traveled to the occupied West Bank on October 7 as part of his fourth trip to the region since the start of the Gaza war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks 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 establish a Palestinian state.
Wednesday's visit came as part of the top US diplomat's fourth trip to the region since Israel's war in Gaza began on October 7. After the meeting, Blinken made a surprise trip to Bahrain, while Abbas met leaders of neighboring countries in Jordan.
When Blinken arrived in Ramallah, he was greeted by a group of protesters holding signs that read “Stop the Genocide,” “Liberate Palestine” and “Blinken Out.” Some, wearing riot gear, scuffled with Palestinian security forces.
According to a US State Department statement, Blinken discussed efforts to “minimize harm to civilians” in Gaza and increase the delivery of aid within the besieged enclave. He had raised these points the day before during a visit to Israel.
He also expressed support for a Palestinian state and advocated for “administrative reforms” of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Foreign Ministry added. The PA said Abbas told Blinken that no Palestinians should be expelled from Gaza or the West Bank.
Hamas, meanwhile, rejected Blinken's visit to the region. “The aim of the visit was to support the safety of the crew. “There are no differences between Israel and the Americans,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Portal.
In a statement, Hamas also said that the US official's “attempts to justify the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian civilians… are pathetic attempts to paint the hands of the criminal occupation in Gaza with the blood of children, women and the elderly.” “To clear people.” .
In the three months of the war, more than 23,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were killed by Israeli bombardment. The war began after militants from Hamas, the group that rules Gaza, attacked communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people there.
Post-war Gaza
Since the start of the war, the United States has repeatedly stated that the Palestinian Authority should rule Gaza once Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, lost control of the Strip to Hamas in 2007. Its popularity in the Palestinian territories has waned over the years.
After traveling to Bahrain later on Wednesday, Blinken said he spoke about the role regional powers will play in Gaza after the conflict and efforts to bring countries in the region together. He added that this would be done in a way that “ensures Israel’s security and also paves the way for the Palestinians to have their own state.”
Blinken also said Abbas had agreed to “go ahead and participate in some of these efforts” and was ready to “reform” the Palestinian Authority so it can take control of a unified Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
Blinken declined to describe how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet responded to his call for a Palestinian state. He said Israel must make “hard decisions, tough choices” to seize the opportunity presented by regional integration.
“Extremist settler violence carried out with impunity, settlement expansion, destruction and displacement – all make it harder, not easier, for Israel to achieve lasting peace and security,” he told a news conference.
Since October 7, violence in the occupied West Bank has increased to levels not seen in nearly two decades. Since then, at least 314 Palestinians, including 81 minors, have been killed, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Later on 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 should be increased to end Israel's “aggression” against Gaza and to protect the civilian population there.
In a palace statement, both leaders rejected any Israeli plans to separate the fate of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, adding that the two entities were the basis of a future Palestinian state.
Jordan and Egypt also reiterated their opposition to any plans to expel Palestinians from their land. A statement from al-Sisi's office said the international community must show a “firm stance” to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Egypt says the number has increased as Israel's war against Hamas has driven most Gazans south toward the Egyptian border.
The Arab leaders confirmed “a total rejection of any attempt to reoccupy parts of the Gaza Strip and the need to allow its people to return to their homes,” the statement added.
Blinken's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories comes after he visited Washington's Middle East allies, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which he said are seeking closer ties with Israel, but only if it leads to a ” practical way” to a Palestinian includes condition.