US top diplomat Blinken meets Abbas, discusses Palestinian statehood
Al Jazeera
US secretary of state travelled to the occupied West Bank during his fourth trip to the region since Gaza war began.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, where the two leaders discussed post-war plans for Gaza, including steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The visit on Wednesday came as part of the US top diplomat’s fourth trip to the region since Israel’s war in Gaza started on October 7. After the meeting, Blinken made a surprise trip to Bahrain, while Abbas met neighbouring country leaders in Jordan.
Blinken’s arrival in Ramallah was met by a group of protesters who held up signs that read “Stop the genocide”, “Free Palestine” and “Blinken out”. Some scuffled with Palestinian security forces in riot gear.
Blinken discussed efforts to “minimise civilian harm” in Gaza and increase the delivery of aid inside the besieged enclave, according to a statement from the US Department of State, points he had made a day earlier during a visit to Israel.
He also expressed support for a Palestinian state and encouraged “administrative reforms” of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the State Department added. The PA said Abbas told Blinken that no Palestinians should be displaced from Gaza or the West Bank.
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