5-11-2023 (RAMALLAH) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unexpected visit to the occupied West Bank, specifically Ramallah, on Sunday. During his visit, he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who urged him to convince Israel to agree to a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military reportedly struck the Maghazi refugee camp, resulting in the deaths of at least 47 people, according to a spokesperson from the Gaza Health Ministry. In a separate attack, 21 Palestinians from a single family, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza overnight, as stated by the Health Ministry.
In his meeting with Blinken, President Abbas demanded an immediate ceasefire from Israel and implored the US diplomat to put an end to the “crimes” being committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The president emphasized the disregard for international law by the Israeli war machine and the severe impact it has had on the Palestinian population.
Foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates had previously met with Blinken in Amman on Saturday, where they also urged the United States to persuade Israel to agree to a ceasefire. However, Blinken argued that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup and instead focused on convincing Israel to agree to location-specific pauses that would facilitate the distribution of much-needed aid in Gaza.
A US State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, stated that Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance and resuming essential services in Gaza. He also emphasized that Palestinians must not be forcibly displaced.
It is important to note that President Abbas has had little influence in Gaza since Hamas took control of the enclave in 2007. Israel maintains that its target is Hamas and not civilians, asserting that the Palestinian group uses residents as human shields.
Gaza health officials have reported that more than 9,770 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war. The recent escalation in violence began when Hamas fighters launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7. Israel claims that the gunmen killed 1,400 people and took over 240 hostages.
Evacuations of injured Gazans and foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing to Egypt were suspended since Saturday, following an Israeli strike on an ambulance being used to transport injured individuals. The Rafah crossing, which leads to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, is the only exit point from Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. Aid trucks, however, are still able to enter the territory.
Living conditions in Gaza have significantly deteriorated with food scarcity, residents resorting to drinking salty water, and collapsing medical services. The United Nations estimates that nearly 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are internally displaced.
Meanwhile, violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has escalated, raising concerns that the region could become another front in the wider conflict. Additionally, clashes with Lebanese Hezbollah forces have intensified along Israel’s northern border.
In response to the situation, protests have erupted worldwide, with demonstrators calling for a ceasefire and expressing concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Thousands gathered in Washington, DC, to denounce President Joe Biden’s war policy and demand an end to the conflict. In Indonesia, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reaffirmed the government’s support for the Palestinian cause in front of tens of thousands gathered in Jakarta.
Secretary Blinken is scheduled to visit Turkey on Monday for further discussions on the ongoing conflict. This visit marks his second trip to the region since the escalation of the conflict.
