{"id":1883,"date":"2023-11-05T10:55:53","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T10:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raqeeb.ps\/en\/?p=1883"},"modified":"2023-11-05T10:55:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T10:55:53","slug":"uss-blinken-meets-pas-abbas-amid-ceasefire-calls-by-arabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raqeeb.ps\/en\/1883.html","title":{"rendered":"US\u2019s Blinken meets PA\u2019s Abbas amid ceasefire calls by Arabs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Al Jazeera<\/strong><\/p>\n

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, a day after Arab leaders publicly asked him to push Israel towards a ceasefire in Gaza as the death toll approaches 10,000.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s Bernard Smith, reporting from Ramallah, said the meeting between Blinken and Abbas lasted less than an hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were no statements at the end of the meeting from either parties.\u00a0What we know is Abbas would have asked for a ceasefire like other Arab leaders have already asked. But Blinken has rebuffed these requests and would have done the same with Abbas,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

The mounting casualties have put the US\u2019s diplomatic efforts under further scrutiny by its Arab allies, who have grown increasingly frustrated by the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n

Israel, which continues with its military offensive on Gaza, killed more than 50 people in air raids late on Saturday.<\/p>\n

During a news conference in Amman, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed that Arab countries want an immediate ceasefire, warning that \u201cthe whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come.<\/p>\n

\"US
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi hold a press conference in Amman, Jordan, November 4, 2023 [Jonathan Ernst\/Pool\/Reuters] (Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t accept that this is self-defence,\u201d Safadi said, referring to Israel\u2019s monthlong assault on Gaza that has killed at least 9,488 Palestinians, more than a third of them children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt cannot be justified under any pretext and it will not bring Israel security, it will not bring the region peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is our view now that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat,\u201d what it did on October 7, said Blinken, referring to the group\u2019s surprise attack into southern Israel that killed some 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.<\/p>\n

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Blinken tried to walk a diplomatic tightrope during his third visit to the region within a month, pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a temporary \u201chumanitarian pause\u201d and urging for the protection of Palestinian civilians, while also contending with Arab leaders who are urging for a full ceasefire.<\/p>\n

Blinken\u2019s \u201chumanitarian pause\u201d call was deemed too weak by Arab leaders, and dismissed by Netanyahu who insisted Israel\u2019s offensive must continue at \u201cfull force\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made clear that we are continuing full force and that Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire which does not include the release of our hostages,\u201d Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Israel seemingly drove this message home by bombing multiple United Nations-run schools and refugee centres during Blinken\u2019s visit. The most recent \u2013 a strike on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza early on Sunday \u2013 killed at least 47 people.