United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during his trip to the Middle East amid growing international concern regarding Israel‘s war with Hamas and its effects in the region.
Blinken and Abbas’ meeting took place in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the West Bank, and comes amid growing tension in the West Bank due to an increase in violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the territory, which is occurring as Israel’s war in Gaza continues.
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Blinken, in recent days, has condemned the settler violence and reiterated that sentiment during the meeting.
“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance and resumption of essential services in Gaza and made clear that Palestinians must not be forcibly displaced,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Secretary Blinken and President Abbas discussed efforts to restore calm and stability in the West Bank, including the need to stop extremist violence against Palestinians and hold those accountable responsible. Secretary Blinken reiterated that the United States remains committed to advancing equal measures of dignity and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
A day earlier, Blinken, who met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Friday, said he heard “a clear commitment from the government to deal with extremist violence in the West Bank, to condemn it, to take action to prevent it, to take action against those who perpetrate it.”
At least 150 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, nearly a month ago, according to CNN.
Abbas described Israel’s military campaign as “genocide.”
“I have no words to describe the genocide and destruction suffered by our Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of Israel’s war machine, with no regard for the principles of international law,” Abbas told Blinken, according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.
The trip is Blinken’s latest to the Middle East since war broke out following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel that left roughly 1,400 people dead. Israel, in response, has declared war on Hamas, first launching an aggressive aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip before committing to a ground invasion.
Blinken, and the Biden administration, have publicly stood by Israel’s right to self-defense, but the staggering death toll claimed by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, at more than 9,000, has raised concerns internationally. Israel has launched airstrikes into densely populated areas in Gaza, though the nation has said they’ve done so because Hamas has embedded itself into the civilian population.
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It’s unclear exactly who would govern the Gaza Strip if Israel is able to destroy Hamas, though Blinken indicated earlier this week that the Palestinian Authority could take control of the enclave in the future. Hamas has been running Gaza since 2007. He has also said he does not believe Israel wants to occupy Gaza.
“At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza,” he said at a congressional hearing last week.
