Blinken and the heads of Egyptian and Jordanian intelligence demanded an end to the “madness of the extremist Netanyahu government.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that he is “ready to work with the US administration and the international community to return to political dialogue, after Israel’s complete cessation of unilateral actions.”
And he added, during his reception (Tuesday), at the presidential residence in Ramallah, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, that “the complete cessation of unilateral Israeli actions, which violate the signed agreements and international law, is the basic entry point for the return of the political horizon, and ending the occupation in accordance with international references and the peace initiative.” Arab countries, in order to make peace, stability and security for all in our region and the world ». He continued, “We have always shown commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy, renunciation of violence and terrorism, and respect for signed agreements, and we are now showing readiness to work with the American administration and the international community to restore political dialogue in order to end the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
For his part, Blinken expressed his “sorrow” and offered his “condolences” for the killing of innocent Palestinians. “Let me begin by expressing our condolences and grief over the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians, who have lost their lives in the escalation of violence over the past year,” he said. He added, “Palestinians and Israelis alike suffer from growing insecurity and fear in their homes, in their communities and in their places of worship.” Settlement settlements, and he added, after repeating his calls for the two sides to calm tensions, that “the United States opposes any action from any side that would make it more difficult to achieve the two-state solution, including settlement expansion, demolitions, evictions from homes, and destabilizing the historical status quo with holy sites.” . He continued, “We believe that it is important to take steps to de-escalate, stop violence and reduce tensions, and also try to create the foundations for more positive measures moving forward.”
And Monday, Blinken said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after their talks in West Jerusalem, “We urge all parties now to take urgent steps to restore calm and defuse the escalation.” “We want to make sure that there is an environment in which we can, hopefully at some point, create the conditions to begin to restore a sense of security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.
Two messages of solidarity
Abbas had met Blinken immediately after his meeting with the heads of the Egyptian intelligence services, Abbas Kamel, and the Jordanian Ahmed Hosni, who conveyed messages of support and solidarity from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II, in which they expressed concern for security and stability in the region.
Kamel and Hosni arrived in Ramallah, anticipating the arrival of Blinken, in the midst of intense movement to stop the security deterioration and prevent it from turning into a larger confrontation. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, “A coordinated American, Jordanian, Egyptian effort was launched in an attempt to impose calm in the West Bank, and is focusing on discussions with the Israelis and Palestinians in order to reduce the level of tension in all possible ways, including restoring security coordination to its full level.”
According to the sources, President Abbas “informed all of his interlocutors, including CIA Director William Burns, whom he met two days ago in Ramallah, that he is not pushing for escalation, and is ready to resume security coordination, and even go to peace negotiations immediately, but who pays? The region to explode is the madness of the right-wing Israeli government and its extremist policies.
Abbas called for “stopping unilateral Israeli measures, including the abolition of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority, stopping withholding tax funds, stopping incursions into Palestinian areas, stopping paying settlement construction plans in the West Bank, curbing settlers in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and maintaining the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque without any changes or provocations.
Abbas told Blinken: “What is happening today is the responsibility of the Israeli government. Because of its practices that undermine the two-state solution, and violate the signed agreements, and because of the lack of international efforts to dismantle the occupation, end the settlement system, and the lack of recognition of the Palestinian state and its full membership in the United Nations. Abbas also criticized the American position on the conflict, telling his guest: “The continued opposition to the efforts of our Palestinian people to defend their existence and their legitimate rights in international forums and courts, and the failure to provide international protection for our people, is a policy that encourages the Israeli occupier to commit more crimes and violate international law.” . And this comes “at a time when Israel is being overlooked, without deterrence or accountability, which continues its unilateral operations, including settlements, the actual annexation of lands, terrorizing settlers, storming Palestinian areas, killings, demolishing homes, displacing Palestinians, and changing identity.” Jerusalem, the violation of the historical situation, the permissibility of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the seizure of funds, and the accompanying operations of ethnic cleansing and apartheid. Abbas spoke about his decision to “stop security coordination” with Israel and said that it was part of a set of decisions, “which we started to implement in order to protect the interests of our people, after we exhausted all means with Israel, to stop its violations, derogate from the signed agreements, and not commit to stopping its unilateral actions.” . He said, “Our people will not accept the continuation of the occupation forever, and regional security will not be strengthened by desecrating its sanctities, trampling on its dignity, and ignoring its legitimate rights to freedom, dignity and independence.”
Abbas’ criticism of the American administration comes in the context of general frustration in Ramallah with the United States not pressuring Israel enough to stop its destructive policies, and its failure to abide by previous promises to the Palestinians related to the reopening of the American consulate in Jerusalem, and the reopening of the PLO office in Washington. .
The Palestinians do not count much on the American effort, given the Israeli government’s continuation of its policy, but they will wait for any change in Tel Aviv before making their final judgments on the results of the American efforts.
A Palestinian official told Israel Today, “If President Abbas is under the impression that actual steps are being taken to implement these demands, he will consider re-coordinating security with Israel.”
Blinken, and before him Burns, proposed the return of security coordination, to which Abbas replied: “Parts of the security coordination system with Israel continue, despite the announcement of a complete freeze on security cooperation last week, in the wake of a bloody attack by the Israeli army in Jenin, during which 10 Palestinians were killed.”
Abbas told Burns, according to an informed official who spoke to Israeli Channel 12, “The exchange of intelligence information with Israel – a key component of sensitive security relations – continues, and that the Palestinian Authority security forces will continue their work in the Palestinian areas, but security coordination will be fully restored once The return of calm.
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