The US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenexpressed his “condolences and sorrow for the innocent Palestinian civilians” killed by Israeli troops in a wave of violence that lasted several months on Tuesday, when meeting in the West Bank with the Palestinian president, Mahmud Abbas, who expressed his willingness to “work” together to “end the Israeli occupation”.
“What we are seeing now is that the horizon for the Palestinians is shrinking, when it should be expanding, and that is something that must change.”Blinken said after the meeting, which closes a tour of the head of US diplomacy to the Middle East that included visits to Egypt and Israel.
Blinken, President Joe Biden’s envoy, called again for “taking steps to reduce tensions” and advocated the creation of a Palestinian state as the best solution to the conflict and the only way for Israelis and Palestinians to obtain “democracy, opportunities and dignity”, according to the AFP news agency.
The United States opposes “any action by either party that makes that goal more difficult to achieve, more distant,” he stressed, before stating his intention to “reestablish” and “rebuild” the relationship with the Palestinian government.
Violence in Israel and Palestine in recent times
Both sides face a new wave of violence: Last Friday, a Palestinian shot dead seven people outside a synagogue in jerusalem this, one day after a deadly incursion of the Israeli army in occupied West Bank will kill 10 Palestinians.
Since the beginning of the year, the conflict has left 35 Palestinians dead, a figure that includes the perpetrators, people belonging to factions and civilians.
Israel has admitted that in some cases its military mistakenly confused and killed non-combatants during raids linked to attacks on Israeli civilians.
According to the UN, which records deaths in the occupied territories since 2005, the deadliest year in the occupied West Bank was 2022.
The meeting between Blinken and Abbas
During the meeting with Blinken, Abbas said that the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based government he presides, “holds the Israeli government responsible” for the recent escalation and stressed that its actions “undermine the two-state solution.”
He also lamented “the lack of international efforts to dismantle the occupation, put an end to the settlement system and not recognize the Palestinian state”, and remarked that this position “encourages the Israeli occupier to commit more crimes and violate International Law”.
The decisions made in recent days, which include the suspension of security coordination with Israel, seek to “protect the interests” of the Palestinians after “having exhausted all avenues” with the Israeli government, according to the Europa Press news agency. .
Regarding the relationship with the United States and after several years of ups and downs in bilateral relations, the president expressed his willingness to “work together” with the support of the international community to “restore political dialogue with the goal of ending the Israeli occupation.” .
The meeting between Blinken and Abbas comes at the end of a brief tour of the US official in the region, after he visited Egypt on Sunday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.
Meetings between Blinken and Israeli authorities
On Tuesday, before traveling to Ramallah, Blinken met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who applauded the United States’ “unconditional support” for “Israel’s right to defend itself.”
The Islamist group that rules the Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, said Blinken’s visit makes clear “absolute support and collaboration with the occupation” of Israel.
This Monday, Blinken, during his meeting with netanyahuthe Israeli prime minister, in Jerusalem, denounced “an expansion of the settlements, the legalization of outposts, demolitions and evictions” and stressed the need to reduce the escalation of violence in the area.
Also on Tuesday, Israel’s Minister of National Missions, Orit Strock, told Blinken that the country does not need “democracy lessons”, after veiled criticism of some proposals by the new government, headed by Likud and made up of various far-right parties. and ultra-orthodox.
“Dear Mr. Blinken. I understand you decided to teach our Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) a lesson in democracy,” Strock, of the far-right Religious Zionism, tweeted.
“Democracy is, above all, the duty of a country to determine its path according to the vote of its citizens, all having the same weight and without foreign participation,” he published, before writing that the anti-government demonstrations, “however legitimate they may be , are not the equivalent of a vote.”
מר בלינקן @SecBlinken היקר,
מבינה שהחלטת לתת לראש הממשלה שלנו @IsraeliPM_heb שיעור בדמוקרטיה.
ובכן, דמוקרטיה היא קודם כל חובתה שלינה לקבוע ת דרכה בהת להצבעת זרחיה-שלה, שלכל 1 מהם ניתן משקל שווה, ולל מעורבות זרה.
והפגנות, לגיטימיות ככל שיהיו, אינן שוות-ערך לפתק בקלפי.— אורית סטרוק (@oritstrock) January 31, 2023
