Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met today, Tuesday, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in Ramallah, at the end of an intensive diplomatic tour during which he sought to reduce escalation between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinians.
A source in the Palestinian presidency said that the Jordanian and Egyptian intelligence directors were participating in the meeting between Abbas and Blinken at the presidential headquarters.
Reuters news agency quoted the US Secretary of State as opposing any step by any party that could make the two-state solution difficult, including the expansion of settlements.
Blinken said it was important to take steps to reduce escalation in the West Bank, adding that his country would provide an additional $50 million to the United Nations agency concerned with the Palestinians.
He emphasized that US President Joe Biden is still committed to the principle of a two-state solution and opposes any step that impedes achieving this, and stressed that the United States opposes policies of demolition, expulsion, and harming the historical status of the holy areas.
For his part, the Palestinian President said - during the meeting - that the Palestinian people will not accept the continuation of the occupation forever, holding the occupation authorities responsible for the practices that undermine the two-state solution.
He pointed out that Israel continues its unilateral operations, which include settlements, "the actual annexation of lands, terrorizing settlers, storming Palestinian areas, killings, demolishing homes, displacing Palestinians, changing the identity of Jerusalem, violating the historical status, deeming Al-Aqsa Mosque lawful, and seizing funds." This is accompanied by ethnic cleansing and "apartheid".
The president explained that the Palestinian government took a number of decisions and started implementing them to protect the interests of the Palestinian people, "after it exhausted all means with Israel to stop its violations."
The Palestinian President also expressed his willingness to work with the US administration and the international community to restore political dialogue in order to end the Israeli occupation.
Abbas stressed that "the complete cessation of unilateral Israeli actions, which violate the signed agreements and international law, is the main entrance to the return of the political horizon."
The US Secretary of State had arrived in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on a visit that lasted a few hours.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority suspended security coordination with Israel after the largest incursion by Israeli forces in years, as the occupation penetrated deep into the refugee camp in Jenin, killing 10 Palestinians, and this was followed by two shootings in Jerusalem, in which 7 Israelis were killed.
In January, the Israeli occupation forces killed 35 Palestinians, including children, while 224 Palestinians, including 61 children, were killed in the West Bank and Gaza in the past year 2022.