Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/RAMALLAH: Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, shuttled from Israel to the Palestinians’ West Bank, appealing for the end to resurgent violence and reaffirming Washington’s backing for a two-nation solution to the decades-long tussle.
Antony is urging calm on both sides after the previous week’s killing by a Palestinian gunman of seven citizens outside a Jerusalem synagogue and anger among Palestinians over actions by Israeli armed forces and settlers in the occupied areas.
Blinken meets Abbas
He said that “that’s the only way that we can create conditions in which citizens’ sense of security could start to improve,”.
Threat to two-nation solution
He took a message into a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President in Ramallah, warning the parties against any strict action that could threaten a two-nation solution with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
“We have been clear that includes things like settlement expansion, the legalization of outposts, evictions, demolitions, and disruptions to the historical status of the holy sites, and of course, and acquiescence to violence.”
He said that he had heard “deep concern” about a current trajectory in both West Bank and Israel but also constructive ideas, and he had asked officials to remain behind to continue talking.
A State Department official said that the officials staying would be Barbara Leaf, the senior department official for the Middle East, and Hady Amr, United States special representative for Palestinian affairs.
Antony’s first visit since Benjamin Netanyahu, newly elected Prime Minister, returned to power this month at the head of one of the right-wing governments in Israel comes at a time of extreme tussle between the two sides.
