Blinken To Meet Palestine Prez Mahmoud Abbas As Israel's War With Hamas Rages On

Washington hopes that the Palestinian Authority could govern Gaza and West Bank after Israel's war with Hamas ends. However, Israel hasn't shown any interest to resume negotiations.

Palestinians carry out search and rescue operations among the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza on January 07, 2024. An attack on a building in Rafah city reportedly resulted in deaths and injuries.

Source : Getty

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, on Wednesday, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv the previous day. This comes with Washington’s hopes that Palestinian authority could govern Gaza after Israel's war with Hamas ends.

During a news conference, he said that the US would continue to support its ally but called on Israel to do more to protect those trapped in war-torn Palestinian territory. Blinken said the "daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly children, is far too high". However, Blinken declined to comment on whether Netanyahu's views had shifted in their discussions.

As per news agency AFP, the US has proposed a post-war scenario in which a restructured Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, would oversee governance in both Gaza and West Bank. The authority currently exercises limited rule in West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. "Israel must stop taking steps that undercut Palestinians' ability to govern themselves effectively," Blinken said on Tuesday, emphasising the importance of progress towards a two-state solution.

"The Palestinian Authority also has a responsibility to reform itself, to improve its governance – issues I plan to raise with President Abbas," he added.

However, the Israeli PM paid no heed to resume negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state and an earlier post-war plan, articulated by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, envisions local "civil committees" taking charge of governance in Gaza after Israel has dismantled Hamas, as per AFP.

Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, ousting Abbas's Fatah party, with which it had shared power. Numerous efforts at reconciliation have failed, yet Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh expressed last week his willingness to consider the concept of a unified Palestinian administration governing both Gaza and the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Jordan's royal palace announced that King Abdullah II is set to convene discussions with Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday regarding Gaza. The talks aim to address the situation in Gaza, focusing on efforts to "advocate for an immediate ceasefire."

War And Fear Of Escalation To Different Territories 

The conflict between Israel and Gaza began after Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians. On that day, Hamas also took around 250 hostages. Israel claims that 132 of them remain in Gaza, including at least 25 believed to have been killed.

Following this, Israel relentlessly bombarded Gaza, killing at least 23,210 people. Most of the deceased were women and children. Hamas-run health ministry on Wednesday announced that 70 more people were killed and 130 were wounded in overnight attacks. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced the death of another soldier early Wednesday, bringing the total killed since its ground invasion began to 186.

During his visit, Blinken urged increasing the delivery of food, water, and medicine to reach the territory. He also mentioned that Israel had consented to a UN assessment in the northern region to evaluate the necessary steps for enabling displaced Palestinians to safely return.

Ever since the war began, there have been growing fears of escalation between Israel and its other regional enemies, a loose alliance of Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. As per the AFP report, on Tuesday, Defence Minister Gallant told Blinken that intensifying pressure on Iran was "critical" and could prevent a regional escalation.

Hours later, Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels executed a multifaceted drone and missile assault in the southern Red Sea region, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) was reported as saying by AFP.