US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended this Sunday in Ramallah that the Palestinian Authority (PA) “must play a central role in what comes next in the Gaza Strip.” The message was delivered during a meeting with AP leader Mahmud Abbas during his first visit to the occupied West Bank since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Abbas, who urged Blinken on the need for a ceasefire, indicated that Gaza is “an integral part” of the state the Palestinians want and that the PA will “fully assume responsibilities” within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes the entire West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.”
Blinken’s statements were conveyed by a State Department official, who said the future of Gaza was not the focus of the meeting but that Palestinian Authority officials appeared willing to play a role. During a hearing in the US Senate last week, the foreign minister had already argued that Abbas and the PA should regain control of Gaza after the war. Washington favors a two-state solution, something that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never enthusiastically advocated.
Abbas’ statements were reported by the official Palestinian agency Wafa. The PA leader has been in office since 2005 but only exercises control in certain areas of the occupied West Bank, having left the Gaza Strip in 2007 after Hamas won the 2006 elections. Moreover, at the age of 88, he has no clear successor and is increasingly unpopular amid accusations of corruption and collusion with Israel over agreements that extend to security levels.
According to the same agency, Abbas denounced the meeting with Blinken “the genocide and destruction suffered by the Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli war machine, without regard to the principles of international law.” And he defended an “immediate ceasefire,” demand that the US do the same – when the Americans have only supported the idea of “humanitarian ceasefires”.
According to the US State Department, Blinken and Abbas “discussed efforts to restore peace and stability in the West Bank, including the need to stop extremist violence against Palestinians and ensure accountability“At least 150 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, most in military attacks by Israeli forces, but also some in clashes with Israeli settlers.
Neither Blinken nor Abbas spoke as they greeted each other in front of the cameras, nor did they make any comments at the end of the meeting that lasted less than an hour — likely indicating “substantial differences and disagreements,” according to Al-Jazeera. “between the Northern positions: American and Palestinian. Although the visit was kept secret and confirmed only after Blinken left Ramallah, many Palestinians took to the streets to challenge US support for Israel.
Bombings
While Blinken visited Ramallah, Israeli bombing continued and the military tightened its siege on Gaza. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari explained that “significant attacks are underway and will continue tonight [este domingo] and in the coming days,” with Israeli forces expected to invade the city of Gaza on Tuesday.
The spokesman confirmed that the army succeeded in cutting the Palestinian enclave in two: “Now there is a South Gaza and a North Gaza,” he explained. “There are now widespread attacks on terror infrastructure, underground and above,” Hagari said, speaking of the tunnels that cross the territory and are used by Hamas to attack Israel – rockets continue to fall into the country. In the first week of the land offensive, 29 Israeli soldiers were killed.
Hamas, which controls the area, denounced a new restriction on communications, in addition to “intense” bombings near hospitals. On Saturday night he also said that at least 45 people were killed in the Israeli attacks on the Maghazi refugee camp. The IDF has presented alleged evidence showing Hamas militants firing rockets from (or near) hospitals in Gaza, as well as tunnels built under buildings.
Since the start of the war, which arose in response to the October 7 attack by the Palestinian terror group that killed 1,400 people in Israel, at least 9,770 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, almost half of them (4,880) children. according to Israeli army figures. Health Ministry accounts controlled by Hamas. There will still be 26 thousand injuries.
For the second day in a row, the Rafah border (the only one between the Gaza Strip and Egypt) was closed this Sunday to the exit of seriously injured Palestinians and foreign citizens or people with dual nationality. The border crossing “is closed because Israel bans the wounded from going to Egypt for treatment, using false pretexts to let them die,” a Hamas source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. ‘No foreigner will leave as long as the wounded are blocked’he said.
The standoff arose after a senior White House official said Friday evening that “a third of the names of the injured [palestinianos] were, after verification, Hamas members and fighters.” The border opened on Wednesday and 361 people left that day alone. A similar number left on Thursday and Friday.
Source: DN
