No breakthrough in bid to end Israel-Palestine clash

Agencies | Ramallah                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

As he completed a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and called for a de-escalation of tensions, but offered no new US initiative to help achieve this.

There were no signs he was making progress on even the modest goal of halting the latest wave of violence, much less of addressing the broader issues surrounding potential peace talks.

Abbas placed all of the blame for the spike in violence on Israel and berated the international community for not doing more to put pressure on Israeli authorities.

Both Blinken and William Burns, the head of the CIA who met Abbas on Jan. 29, urged him to take action against Palestinian military groups and reduce the levels of violence against Israel.

Blinken called for calm on both sides following the incident last week when a Palestinian gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue in Jerusalem, and amid anger among Palestinians over the actions of Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The US Secretary of State took that message into the meeting with Abbas and warned all parties against taking any action that could threaten a two-state solution that results in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.