US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at the end of his visit to Palestine and Israel that the United States is committed to implementing the two-state solution in the long term, and the US Secretary met yesterday, Tuesday, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the city of Ramallah.

Minister Blinken stated in a series of tweets on his Twitter account that his country will continue to support the Palestinian and Israeli parties and efforts to reduce escalation, and stressed the need for Israelis and Palestinians to take immediate measures to reduce violence and prevent further escalation.

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 added that, during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, he affirmed Washington's support for the Palestinian people and the two-state solution, stressing that "the Israelis and Palestinians deserve similar measures in terms of freedom, security and prosperity."

Met with President Abbas and @DrShtayyeh to reiterate our commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and a two-state solution.

Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity.

pic.twitter.com/uG5KDe2Wn4

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 31, 2023

The US Secretary of State said that Washington renews its commitment to "supporting independent media with the leaders of Palestinian civil society, which is a fundamental pillar of accountability and new governance," adding that he will work with the US Congress to allocate $2 million to support journalists in the region, including Palestinian journalists.

Abbas' statements

For his part, President Mahmoud Abbas held the Israeli government fully responsible for the escalation and tension in the Palestinian territories, and stressed that the Palestinians do not accept the continuation of the occupation forever, and the Palestinian President held the occupation authorities responsible for the practices that undermine the two-state solution.

A source in the Palestinian presidency said that the Jordanian and Egyptian intelligence directors participated in the meeting between Abbas and Blinken at the Palestinian presidency.

Mahmoud Abbas indicated 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 the Al-Aqsa Mosque lawful, and seizing funds." And the accompanying processes of ethnic cleansing and "apartheid".

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.

King of Jordan

In a related context, Jordan's King Abdullah II discussed yesterday, Tuesday, with members of the US Congress, the need to relaunch negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, expressing Jordan's rejection of unilateral measures and the need to stop escalation and restore calm to provide a political horizon for relaunching negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

This came during a meeting between the King of Jordan and the heads and members of committees in the US House of Representatives, as part of an unspecified official visit to the United States, according to a statement from the royal court.