Abbas demands American recognition of the state… and Israeli leaders insist on continuing the war
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for American recognition of the Palestinian state and enabling it to obtain full membership in the United Nations.
Abbas told Blinken in the meeting held at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah that the Palestinian state is the key to security and peace.
The Palestinian President called again for holding an international peace conference in order to advance negotiations leading to a Palestinian state on the entire territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Abbas’s request for Washington’s recognition of the Palestinian state came at a time when the US State Department was considering its options in this regard, without Blinken’s position on Abbas’s request being immediately clear.
Palestinian sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Blinken confirmed his administration’s support for the Palestinian state and that it was studying all options. He called on Abbas again to reform the Authority and maintain calm in the West Bank, and discussed with him enabling the Authority to perform its role in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip in the future.
The sources said that Abbas repeated to Blinken his position regarding the necessity of stopping the war first, and that the handing over of power to the Gaza Strip must be according to a political path and guarantees related to control, security, and reconstruction, in addition to the political future.
Abbas touched on Congress’s decision to prevent members of the Palestine Liberation Organization from entering American territory, describing it as a disappointing decision, which will affect the American role seeking to create a political climate that achieves security and stability in the region. He also touched on Israel’s continued seizure of Palestinian funds and its ongoing aggression in the West Bank.
President Abbas receives Blinken in Ramallah on Wednesday (AFP)
Abbas’s office said that he stressed the need to immediately stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and the importance of accelerating the introduction of relief, medical and food supplies, and providing water, electricity and fuel to the entire Gaza Strip, including the northern Gaza area, so that hospitals, basic facilities and shelter centers can resume their work. To alleviate the suffering of citizens.
He renewed his rejection of displacement in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, warning of the consequences of any military operation that the occupation forces might carry out in the city of Rafah to pressure citizens to displace them.
Abbas said that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian state, and it is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate it, or cut off any inch of its land, and it falls under the responsibility of the State of Palestine and under its administration.
Blinken arrived in the West Bank, the fifth stop of his tour, which also included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, then returned to Israel at the end of his tour.
The Israeli Prime Minister receives the US Secretary of State in Jerusalem on Wednesday (AP)
Blinken met in Israel with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials, and informed them that the administration of US President Joe Biden is extremely concerned about a possible Israeli operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, because it fears that the operation in the city will lead to large numbers of casualties. And pushing tens of thousands of Palestinians to Egypt, which warned that the displacement of Palestinians to its lands would lead to a rupture in its relations with Israel.
Blinken told Netanyahu and the expanded team at the joint meeting, “President Biden wanted to convey that he is disturbed by the fact that there are more than 1.2 million Palestinians in Rafah, and that they do not understand where they will be evacuated in the event of a military attack.”
Netanyahu responded that Israel would not be able to win the war without destroying the Hamas brigades in the city located in the southern Gaza Strip, stressing: “We are aware of the problem and we will know how to deal with it.”
Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel would not stop the war before eliminating Hamas, something Netanyahu repeated publicly in a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Palestinian children at an UNRWA school in Rafah on Wednesday (Reuters)
According to Israeli media, Gallant confirmed that they would launch an attack on Rafah, and told Blinken that Hamas’ negative response to the swap deal proposal would lead to the continuation of the war and the arrival of our forces to other places in Gaza soon.
Blinken heard the same words from Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, who told him that the goal was to dismantle Hamas’ military infrastructure in Rafah, and that the war was not close to its end.
In addition to the war and Rafah, Blinken raised the issue of aid arriving in Gaza, and during the meeting he expressed his concerns about the failure of communication between the Israeli army and international organizations and the targeting of United Nations employees who were delivering aid.
Blinken asked Netanyahu not to allow the demonstrations at the Kerem Shalom crossing to harm the transfer of aid to Gaza, and to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, but Netanyahu explained to Blinken the precautions that Israel is taking, and explained the involvement of the organizations’ employees with Hamas.
According to the newspaper “Israel Hayom”, during the expanded meeting with Blinken, the American official was shown pictures of a huge tunnel that was discovered in recent days under the central headquarters of UNRWA in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Wednesday, and met with Netanyahu separately and at length in his office in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s office said that the two sides “held a long, in-depth meeting in private,” and then an expanded meeting that included other officials.
Blinken tried to discuss the issue of stopping the war and the invasion of Rafah with Halevy in private, but Netanyahu’s office prevented that, considering that it is not possible for a foreign political official to meet with an Israeli military official in private without the presence of the political level.
Blinken spoke in Israel about the importance of delivering aid to Gaza, and said: “We must all commit to doing everything in our power to deliver aid to those who need it most.” He added: “The steps that are being taken, and the additional steps that must be taken, are the focus of my meetings here.”
Blinken expressed his hope that an agreement would be reached to release Israeli detainees in Gaza.
The US State Department said on Wednesday evening, “Blinken stressed to Netanyahu the importance of taking all possible steps to protect civilians in Gaza.”
The US State Department stated that he “assured Netanyahu of Washington’s support for Israel’s right to ensure that the October 7 attacks will not be repeated.”
2024-02-08 10:27:00
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