US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday expressed his concerns about the expulsion of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah and increasing tension at Al-Aqsa Mosque, fearing that this could lead to a new war, the Middle East Monitor reported.
#US ‘Strongly Condemns’ Jewish #Settler Attacks on #Palestinians near #Hebron https://t.co/SlL14WZ0i1 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/PjBPh7xlYR
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 1, 2021
Speaking to Israeli Walla! news website, Blinken stated that the US understands the necessity to return Israeli soldiers captive in Gaza to their homes and that the US will help. However, according to MEMO, he rejected linking this to the reconstruction of Gaza, which: “has urgent needs and we should give them hope.” Blinken noted: “This is the only way to prevent a new war.”
According to Walla!, Blinken shared that he spoke with Saudi and Qatari counterparts and briefed them on his talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, asking them to mobilize the reconstruction of Gaza.
He got beaten up by Israeli occupation forces until he blacked out over flying a Palestinian flag in #SheikhJarrah #Palestine
Via: Maydan Alquds pic.twitter.com/3TkY5kO2XD
— Abier (@abierkhatib) September 26, 2021
Blinken confirmed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “is still going on and needs to be treated,” pointing out that the Biden administration “does not think the current situation is ready for making major progress in the peace process” due to the political crisis in Israel and the PA’s internal instability, MEMO reported.
He stressed that the most urgent issue is maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and rebuilding it in order to tone down tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
