Blinken tells Abbas US backs 'tangible steps' for Palestinian state

AFP | Ramallah, Palestinian Territories                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

US top diplomat Antony Blinken told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday that Washington supports "tangible steps" towards the creation of a Palestinian state.

Blinken reiterated Washington's longstanding position that a Palestinian state must stand alongside Israel, "with both living in peace and security", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Palestinian statehood was anticipated following the Oslo Accords of the 1990s but talks have been moribund for years.

The Israeli government has shown no interest in reviving negotiations and the Palestinian leadership remains split between the Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas, and Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Abbas described the Gaza Strip as "an integral part of the Palestinian state" according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

"It is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate it, or cut off any part of it," the Palestinian leader told Blinken.

Discussions have been underway for weeks over post-war governance of Gaza, though Israel has warned the fighting is likely to continue for months.

The Palestinian president also raised "efforts made to stop the Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," Wafa reported.

Blinken referred to "increased volatility" in the West Bank, where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in raids by the Israeli military or attacks by Jewish settlers in recent months.

As part of efforts to stabilise the territory, Blinken called on Israel to hand over revenues owed to the Palestinians in full.

Blinken "underscored the United States' position that all Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel should be consistently conveyed to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with prior agreements," Miller said.

Israel has for years withheld part of the funds, over issues including payments to Palestinian prisoners and more recently the Gaza war.