Closing His Visit, US Secretary of State Reiterates Support for Israel, Need for Palestinian Self-Rule
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Antony Blinken emphasizes Hamas' responsibility for the current conflict and repeats support for Israel's war aims, but says that ultimately Palestinians must be allowed to govern themselves
Back in Israel for his fourth visit since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US support for Israel’s mission to destroy Hamas and rescue the remaining hostages from the Gaza Strip, while emphasizing that Palestinians must not be resettled from Gaza and must ultimately have their own state.
Blinken arrived on Monday evening, and on Tuesday met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and war cabinet member Benny Gantz.
Israel’s military says it has completed the dismantling of Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the conflict is now less intensive, with fewer troops on the ground and fewer airstrikes.
We continue to offer our best advice for how Israel can achieve its essential goal of ensuring that October 7 can never be repeated. We believe Israel has achieved significant progress for this fundamental effect.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Blinken said he had discussed the “phased transition of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.”
“We continue to offer our best advice for how Israel can achieve its essential goal of ensuring that October 7 can never be repeated. We believe Israel has achieved significant progress for this fundamental effect,” he said.
He said he was in Israel after holding meetings with leaders of Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and the White House reiterated its commitment to strengthening the protection of civilians in Gaza, preventing the conflict from spreading further around the Middle East, and preserving and easing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazans.
In line with these goals, Blinken offered support for Israel against Hamas and also against Hizbullah along the northern borders with Lebanon and Syria. He also offered support against the Houthis in Yemen, who are threatening the international trade route in the Red Sea. Some 40 countries are reportedly joining together to counter the Houthi threat.
However, Blinken asked Israel to have faith in Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations’ new senior humanitarian and reconstruction ambassador for Gaza, who has a controversial history with Israel.
“Sigrid Kaag is someone I worked with very closely a few years ago, when she led the UN mission that destroyed the Assad regime’s chemical weapons in Syria,” Blinken said. “So I can say from experience, she has what it takes to get this job done. She has America’s full support. She must have Israel’s as well.”
Kaag’s involvement and the IDF’s recently scaled-down war effort pave the way for a new UN initiative in which the international body will carry out an assessment to determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
I told the prime minister [Netanyahu] that the United States unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians out of Gaza … and the prime minister reaffirmed to me today that this is not the policy of the Israeli government
Blinken admitted to massive challenges in the initiative, including problems with destroyed infrastructure as well as decommissioning and collecting unexploded ordnance and Hamas-laid booby traps.
However, Blinken remained adamant that the Palestinians must not be pressed to leave Gaza.
“I told the prime minister [Netanyahu] that the United States unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians out of Gaza … and the prime minister reaffirmed to me today that this is not the policy of the Israeli government,” he said.
Blinken said that the White House and regional partners in the Middle East all agreed that the only way to reach a lasting solution that would ensure Israel’s security is by pursuing a path to a Palestinian state.
“These goals are attainable, but only if they’re pursued together. This crisis has clarified that you can’t have one without the other, and you can’t achieve either goal without an integrated regional approach,” he said.
Blinken added that “Israel must stop taking steps to undercut the Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves effectively.”
This includes curbing settler violence and settlement expansions in the West Bank, and rejecting Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s efforts to block the return of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and Gaza.
It’s very important to remember that everyone has choices to make, and that includes Hamas. Hamas could have ended this on October 8, by not hiding behind civilians … or by putting down its weapons.
“The Palestinian Authority has a responsibility to reform itself and improve its governance issues,” Blinken said, adding that he would raise this in his scheduled meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Blinken laid clear responsibility on Hamas for the disaster in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s very important to remember that everyone has choices to make, and that includes Hamas,” he said.
“Hamas could have ended this on October 8, by not hiding behind civilians … or by putting down its weapons. By surrendering. By releasing the hostages. None of the suffering would have happened if Hamas hadn’t done what it did on October 7, and had it made different decisions thereafter.”
Speaking of the genocide case recently launched by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Blinken said that Washington believes the charges “distract the world from all of these important efforts. And moreover, the charge of genocide is baseless. It’s particularly volatile given that those who are attacking Israel—Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter, Iran—continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews.”
