{"id":3574,"date":"2023-01-31T15:29:50","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T15:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3574"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:40:40","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:40:40","slug":"middle-east-blinken-renews-appeal-for-peace-in-israel-and-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/diplomatic-world\/middle-east-blinken-renews-appeal-for-peace-in-israel-and-palestine\/2023\/01\/31\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East Blinken Renews Appeal for Peace in Israel and Palestine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

JERUSALEM<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> —<\/span> US<\/span> Secretary<\/span> of<\/span> State<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Blinken<\/span> concluded<\/span> a<\/span> two-day<\/span> visit<\/span> to<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> occupied<\/span> West<\/span> Bank<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Blinken<\/span> met<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> leader<\/span> Mahmoud<\/span> Abbas<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> Bank<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Ramallah<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday,<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> after<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> Israeli<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Benjamin<\/span> Netanyahu.<\/span> Standing<\/span> alongside<\/span> Israeli<\/span> leaders,<\/span> Brinken<\/span> emphasized<\/span> the<\/span> importance<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Biden<\/span> administration<\/span> to<\/span> resolving<\/span> the<\/span> longstanding<\/span> conflict<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> two-state<\/span> solution.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> Blinken<\/span> offered<\/span> no<\/span> new<\/span> U.S.<\/span> initiative<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> so,<\/span> other<\/span> than<\/span> to<\/span> encourage<\/span> a<\/span> de-escalation<\/span> of<\/span> tensions.<\/span> Even<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> modest<\/span> goal<\/span> of<\/span> stopping<\/span> the<\/span> latest<\/span> round<\/span> of<\/span> violence,<\/span> let<\/span> alone<\/span> addressing<\/span> broader<\/span> issues<\/span> surrounding<\/span> peace<\/span> talks,<\/span> there<\/span> was<\/span> no<\/span> sign<\/span> that<\/span> Blinken<\/span> was<\/span> making<\/span> headway.<\/span> Abbas<\/span> blamed<\/span> them<\/span> all<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> increase<\/span> in<\/span> violence<\/span> against<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> accused<\/span> the<\/span> international<\/span> community<\/span> of<\/span> doing<\/span> nothing<\/span> more<\/span> to<\/span> put<\/span> pressure<\/span> on<\/span> Israel.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Blinken’s<\/span> visit<\/span> is<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> deadliest<\/span> fighting<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> years<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> occupied<\/span> West<\/span> Bank<\/span> and<\/span> East<\/span> Jerusalem.<\/span> Violence<\/span> further<\/span> complicates<\/span> the<\/span> government’s<\/span> already<\/span> arduous<\/span> attempt<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> common<\/span> ground<\/span> with<\/span> Netanyahu’s<\/span> government.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Ramallah,<\/span> Blinken<\/span> was<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> authorities’<\/span> decision<\/span> to<\/span> end<\/span> security<\/span> cooperation<\/span> with<\/span> Israel.<\/span> Security<\/span> ties,<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> helped<\/span> stem<\/span> violence<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past,<\/span> are<\/span> highly<\/span> unpopular<\/span> with<\/span> ordinary<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> who<\/span> accuse<\/span> Abbas<\/span> of<\/span> subcontracting<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> army.<\/span> Before<\/span> leaving<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> Bank,<\/span> Brinken<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> Israeli<\/span> opposition<\/span> leader<\/span> and<\/span> former<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Yair<\/span> Lapid.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> Brinken<\/span> on<\/span> Monday,<\/span> Netanyahu<\/span> only<\/span> mentioned<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> and<\/span> instead<\/span> focused<\/span> on<\/span> Iran.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Netanyahu’s<\/span> coalition<\/span> partners<\/span> also<\/span> calmly<\/span> reacted<\/span> to<\/span> Blinken’s<\/span> statement.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>National<\/span> Security<\/span> Minister<\/span> Itamar<\/span> Ben-Gwir,<\/span> leader<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> ultranationalist<\/span> Jewish<\/span> Power<\/span> Party,<\/span> has<\/span> announced<\/span> punishment<\/span> for<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> in<\/span> response<\/span> to<\/span> his<\/span> two<\/span> shootings<\/span> in<\/span> East<\/span> Jerusalem<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> weekend.<\/span> promised<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> further<\/span> action.<\/span> Ben-Gvir<\/span> promised<\/span> to<\/span> demolish<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> homes<\/span> and<\/span> distribute<\/span> more<\/span> weapons<\/span> to<\/span> Israeli<\/span> civilians.<\/span> Cabinet<\/span> Minister<\/span> Olit<\/span> Strock,<\/span> another<\/span> ultranationalist,<\/span> refuted<\/span> Blinken’s<\/span> comments.<\/span> This<\/span> was<\/span> seen<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> criticism<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> government’s<\/span> plans<\/span> to<\/span> overhaul<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> judicial<\/span> system<\/span> and<\/span> undermine<\/span> the<\/span> Supreme<\/span> Court.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> his<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Netanyahu,<\/span> Mr<\/span> Brinken<\/span> expressed<\/span> his<\/span> “support<\/span> for<\/span> fundamental<\/span> democratic<\/span> principles<\/span> and<\/span> institutions”,<\/span> which<\/span> included<\/span> “equal<\/span> administration<\/span> of<\/span> justice<\/span> for<\/span> all,<\/span> equal<\/span> rights<\/span> for<\/span> minorities<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> groups,<\/span> Includes<\/span> rule<\/span> of<\/span> law.<\/span> Critics<\/span> say<\/span> Netanyahu’s<\/span> plan<\/span> will<\/span> undermine<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> judicial<\/span> system<\/span> and<\/span> destroy<\/span> the<\/span> democratic<\/span> system<\/span> of<\/span> checks<\/span> and<\/span> balances.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mr<\/span> Strock<\/span> accused<\/span> Mr<\/span> Brinken<\/span> of<\/span> interfering<\/span> in<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> internal<\/span> affairs,<\/span> telling<\/span> public<\/span> broadcaster<\/span> Mr<\/span> Kang.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Brinken<\/span> agreed<\/span> with<\/span> his<\/span> unit<\/span> when<\/span> it<\/span> came<\/span> to<\/span> confronting<\/span> Iran<\/span> and<\/span> prevented<\/span> it<\/span> from<\/span> acquiring<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> commitment<\/span> to<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> security<\/span> remained<\/span> “solid”<\/span> but<\/span> suggested<\/span> there<\/span> was<\/span> more<\/span> to<\/span> his<\/span> agenda.<\/span> “We<\/span> couldn’t<\/span> have<\/span> met<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> better<\/span> time<\/span> because<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> so<\/span> much<\/span> work<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> moment,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>January<\/span> is<\/span> shaping<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> the<\/span> deadliest<\/span> month<\/span> in<\/span> years<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> Bank<\/span> and<\/span> East<\/span> Jerusalem.<\/span> About<\/span> 35<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> were<\/span> killed<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> fighting<\/span> last<\/span> Thursday,<\/span> including<\/span> 10<\/span> killed<\/span> in<\/span> an<\/span> Israeli<\/span> military<\/span> attack<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> hotspot<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Jenin.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> violence<\/span> comes<\/span> months<\/span> after<\/span> arrests<\/span> of<\/span> Israelis<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> Bank,<\/span> which<\/span> began<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> series<\/span> of<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> attacks<\/span> against<\/span> Israelis<\/span> that<\/span> killed<\/span> 19<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> spring<\/span> of<\/span> 2022.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> this<\/span> month,<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> weeks<\/span> of<\/span> Netanyahu’s<\/span> new<\/span> far-right<\/span> government,<\/span> he<\/span> took<\/span> a<\/span> tough<\/span> stance<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> and<\/span> vowed<\/span> to<\/span> speed<\/span> up<\/span> the<\/span> construction<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> settlements.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM (AFP) — US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concluded a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Blinken met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, a day after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Standing alongside Israeli leaders, Brinken emphasized the importance […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,280,2450],"tags":[646,685,696,699,741,929],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/israel-1.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3574"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3581,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions\/3581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}