United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has criticized Israeli actions, such as settlement growth and home demolitions, as being harmful to the two-state solution in a rare instance of tacit criticism of Israel.
Blinken reiterated Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel during a news conference on Tuesday after his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining the “vision” of the two-state solution, saying, “The United States is dedicated to working toward our enduring goal of ensuring that Palestinians and Israelis enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justice, and dignity.”
“The United States will continue to oppose anything that moves that goal further away, including but not limited to settlement expansion and the legalization of illegal outposts, moves towards annexing the West Bank, disruption of the historic status quo on Jerusalem’s holy sites, demolitions and evictions, as well as incitement and acquiescence to violence,” the statement reads.
Rights activists have long pleaded with Washington to put pressure on Israel to stop mistreating Palestinians.
The US actively works to thwart international efforts to condemn Israeli crimes, including at the UN, while giving Israel at least $3.8 billion in military aid annually.
Many experts claim that the two-state solution is no longer feasible due to Israel’s settlement policy, but successive US administrations, including that of President Joe Biden, have maintained their unwavering support for Israel.
“I reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering dedication to Israel’s security to Israel and its people. Many innocent lives have been lost on both sides as a result of the growing tide of violence, according to Blinken’s Tuesday statement.
Earlier in the day, Blinken had a meeting in occupied Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority.
Ten Palestinians were slain by Israeli forces last week in the West Bank, nine of whom were in the Jenin refugee camp. A day later, a Palestinian gunman killed seven Israelis in East Jerusalem, which is still under occupation.
Israel was charged with impeding the two-state solution and breaking international law, according to a statement issued by Abbas’ office via the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The Palestinian president stated, “This comes at a time when Israel continues its unilateral operations, including settlements, de-facto annexation, settler terrorism, without any deterrence or accountability.”
Additionally, Abbas criticized Israel for its “programs of ethnic cleansing and apartheid” and for “violating the historic status quo and breaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound earlier this month, which was denounced as a “provocation” by Palestinian and Arab leaders. This heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Abbas made an oblique reference to US resistance to a diplomatic initiative by the Palestinians to demand justice for Israeli violations.
“The continued opposition to the Palestinian people’s efforts to defend their existence and their legitimate rights in international forums and courts, and to provide for our people with international protection, is a policy that encourages the Israeli occupier to commit more crimes and violates international law,” Abbas said.
Blinken stated during his news conference that Washington’s top aim right now is to “restore calm” and reduce tensions between Israelis and Palestinians before attempting to reach a long-term agreement.
Blinken continued by saying that he asked some of his crew to remain in the area to assist in achieving that goal.
He stated earlier in the day that the US is seeking to reopen a consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, a promise made by Joe Biden during the campaign but has not been kept because of Israeli objections. Donald Trump, the former president, effectively cut connections with the Palestinian leadership and shut down the US diplomatic mission for Palestinians.
Blinken stated on Tuesday that Washington wants to “rebuild” its connection with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.
In public remarks while in Israel, the top US ambassador avoided mentioning Shireen Abu Akleh of Al Jazeera, a US citizen who was fatally murdered by Israeli soldiers last year.
When asked if Blinken brought up the death of Abu Akleh with Israeli officials, a representative for the US Department of State cited “public readouts” of the top diplomat’s meetings. The dead journalist was not mentioned in the readouts that were available.
Blinken stated on Tuesday that he had talks with Israeli officials about stepping up their collaboration against Iran in the face of diplomatic efforts to resurrect the 2015 nuclear agreement, which saw Tehran curtail its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions.
Blinken said, “We continued what has been an ongoing discussion of how we can continue to work together, collaborate — and not just with us, with other nations — in opposing the malign activities that Iran is engaged in, whether they be in this region or elsewhere.
