Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, on Friday in Amman to talk about the aftermath of the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, particularly the effects in the occupied West Bank.
Blinken reiterated “the United States’ unequivocal condemnation of the abhorrent terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel” during their meeting and “detailed U.S. efforts to coordinate with partners to prevent the conflict from widening,” according to a readout from the State Department’s Matthew Miller.
“The Secretary extended his condolences to the families of Palestinian civilian victims of this conflict, and reiterated that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to dignity, freedom, justice, and self-determination,”
Furthermore, Blinken commended Abbas for his efforts to “further calm” the area and “reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to cooperation with the Palestinian leadership and people on efforts to ensure security for all,” Miller continued.
After meeting with Israeli leaders and those directly impacted by the attack and war, which have claimed more than 1,300 lives in Israel, including at least 27 Americans, the secretary traveled to Jordan, which is located along a large portion of Israel’s eastern border. More than 1,500 Palestinians have died in Gaza as a result of Israeli airstrikes, and humanitarian concerns are growing.
King Abdullah II, who has been in contact with President Joe Biden ever since the Gaza conflict began, was another person Blinken met in Jordan.
Miller added in a separate statement that Blinken and Abdullah talked about “the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.” Additionally, they discussed “efforts to obtain the release of all hostages and stop the conflict from spreading.”
While Israel carries out lawful security operations to defend itself from terrorists, Blinken “understood that Hamas does not support the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination and talked about ways to address the humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza,” Miller continued.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, is in charge of overseeing some aspects of the West Bank. His Fatah movement is an adversary of Gaza’s ruling Hamas.
We place emphasis on the PLO’s policy, which renounces violence and adheres to international legitimacy, peaceful popular resistance, and political action as a path to achieving our national goals of freedom and independence, culminating in the end of the occupation and enacting the independence of our Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of 1967, according to a statement by Abbas.
Given that the PLO and Hamas have primarily been rivals for almost two decades, with Hamas rejecting all agreements between the PLO and Israel, it is unclear how much sway Abbas might have in the current situation.
In a 2006 election, Hamas defeated the secular Fatah party, whose chairman Abbas is, and took the majority in the Palestinian territories. In 2007, Hamas violently seized control of Gaza; ever since, there has been persistent hostility between Hamas and the PLO.
In response to worries for Gazan citizens, Blinken stated on Thursday that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed “possibilities for safe passage for civilians who want to leave or get out of the way in Gaza.”
“That’s a conversation, a discussion, that we will pursue in the coming days, including with some of the countries that we’ll be visiting,” he declared.
Blinken is anticipated to meet with authorities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab.
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