Amidst escalating tensions over Israel’s conflict with Hamas, top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken stated that the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) needs to be at the center of the future of the Gaza Strip while meeting with Iraqi officials and touring the area.

After going past Israeli checkpoints to see Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Blinken continued his journey to Iraq. This was his second visit to the region following the unexpected attack on Israel on October 7 in which Hamas terrorists, who control Gaza, killed 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 240 others.

According to Blinken, discussions concerning Gaza’s future must put Palestinian perspectives, opinions, and goals “at the center.” He made this statement to reporters in Baghdad.

Secretary of State Blinken rejected pleas for a ceasefire from Arab authorities on Saturday as Israel persisted in its campaign of airstrikes, which, according to Gaza health officials, had killed 9,770 Palestinians. The day before, Blinken had unsuccessfully pleaded with Israel for more constrained pauses in the conflict.

Regarding the drive for humanitarian pauses, Blinken stated, “This is a process,” noting that Israel has significant concerns about how they would operate and that specifics are being worked out.

According to him, any pause must address several concerns, including releasing hostages.

“I made very clear that the attacks and the threats coming from militia that are aligned with Iran are totally unacceptable,” Blinken stated during negotiations with the Iraqi administration.

He stated that the U.S. was telling “anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: ‘Don’t do it,'” not to approach them.

PLAN FOR POST-CONFLICT
Blinken is working to initiate conversations on how Gaza may be run if Hamas is destroyed, which Israel claims is its goal, in addition to making sure the violence does not spread throughout the region.

According to a report of the conversation from the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Abbas informed Blinken that Gaza is “an integral part” of the state that the Palestinians seek. The report also hinted that any involvement the P.A. would have in regulating Gaza would have to be part of a larger resolution of the long-running conflict.

“We will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip,” Abbas was reported as saying by WAFA.

During their hour-long meeting, the two avoided speaking to the media.

According to Husam Zomlot, the director of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom, “we need to see the U.S. playing the role of an honest mediator, not adopting the Israeli narrative,” in a Sunday CBS interview.

Though Blinken claimed to have some “good ideas” for the future, he stated that “the time has come to halt the murder of civilians.”

According to spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Abbas urged Blinken that there should be an instant truce and that supplies should be let into Gaza.

According to Blinken, the U.S. is dedicated to delivering supplies to Gaza and reestablishing vital services there, as stated by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement at the meeting.

“The secretary also expressed the commitment of the United States to working toward the realization of the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Miller stated.

DIFFICULT AUTHORITY
While acknowledging that other nations and international organizations would probably be involved in security and governance in the short term, Blinken stated that a “effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority” would make the most sense to manage the strip in the long run.

The Palestinian Authority (P.A.) under Abbas, which maintains some degree of autonomy within the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has experienced a decline in support due to accusations of corruption, incapacity, and the despised security cooperation agreements with Israel. Uncertainty surrounds the succession of the sick and elderly Abbas, 87, a fervent opponent of Hamas.

Following their meeting with Blinken on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan said that it was too soon to discuss Gaza’s future while simultaneously urging an urgent truce to solve the humanitarian disaster that has befallen the 2.3 million people living there.

While Blinken maintained that a truce would enable Hamas to regroup, he is currently attempting to persuade Israel to consent to location-specific pauses that would allow for the distribution of much-needed supplies within Gaza.

The West Bank is a complicated mix of hillside towns, Israeli settlements, and army checkpoints that divide Palestinian villages, while Hamas tightly controls constrained Gaza.

Since the start of the war, violence has increased even more, reaching a 15-year high this year. According to U.N. statistics, Jewish settlers have been involved in over 170 attacks against Palestinians.

According to the senior State Department source, Blinken informed Abbas that he had pushed Israeli authorities for accountability and credited him for reducing tension in the West Bank.

Rutgers football offers New Jersey athlete Khalil Witherspoon.

What is your top Steelers need in the upcoming NFL draft?