The top U.S. diplomat said there were genuine efforts led by Arab countries to revitalize the Palestinian Authority so it can be more effecting in representing the Palestinians….reports Asian Lite News
There is “an extraordinary opportunity” in the coming months for Israel to normalise ties with its Arab neighbors, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday, while also emphasizing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state.
The top U.S. diplomat said there were genuine efforts led by Arab countries to revitalize the Palestinian Authority so it can be more effecting in representing the Palestinians.
“Virtually every Arab country now genuinely wants to integrate Israel into the region to normalize relations…to provide security commitments and assurances so that Israel can feel more safe,” Blinken said during a panel discussion at the annual Munich Security Conference.
“And there’s also, I think the imperative, that’s more urgent than ever, to proceed to a Palestinian state that also ensures the security of Israel,” he added.
The Biden administration has been working to secure a mega-deal that will see ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel normalize. The Kingdom and other Arab countries are seeking the creation of a Palestinian state as part of the deal.
Washington is also working to achieve a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 when the group crossed the border into Israel and mounted one of the deadliest attacks on the country in decades.
The hostage deal and the humanitarian pause are seen as instrumental in helping advance conversations on a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which had been frozen in the immediate aftermath of the attack but have resumed in recent months.
Talks on the structure of Gaza when the war ends, and how the Palestinian Authority – which exercises limited self-rule in some areas of the occupied West Bank – needs to be reformed to potentially rule the densely populated enclave and identifying a pathway for a Palestinian state are all variables in the same equation, according to U.S. officials.
Blinken, Wang hold “constructive” talks
Meanwhile, Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held “candid and constructive” discussion during their meeting at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
According to US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, the discussion on the sidelines of the summit touched on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition in the relationship.
While having a “candid and constructive discussion” with Wang in Munich, Blinken raised concern over China supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the State Department’s top spokesman said.
The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in West Asia and on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed that their respective senior officials should meet to follow up on these discussions.
Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, Miller said.
Friday’s meeting between Blinken and Wang was the first in-person meeting of senior officials of the two countries since Taiwan’s presidential election in mid-January, which was won by Lai Ching-te of the ruling, independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, Kyodo News reported.
Meanwhile, according to Xinhua, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a “sound, steady and sustainable development of China-US ties.”
During the meeting, the two sides had “candid, substantive, and constructive discussions,” it said.
“The two sides should adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation and actively explore the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other,” Wang said according to Xinhua.
The United States should view the country’s development “objectively and rationally”and abide by the one-China principle if it “genuinely hopes for stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Wang said that the pursuit of turning “de-risking” into “de-sinicization,” building “small yard, high fence” and “decoupling from China” will eventually backfire on the United States itself, as per the Xinhua report. The Chinese foreign minister also called on Washington to lift illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals.
At the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Blinken also raised concerns over China’s “support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, including support to the Russian defence industrial base,” Miller said according to a White House readout.
The US Secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to stand up for its interests and values and those of its allies, Miller said.
This is the first meeting between Blinken and Wang since October last year and after the talks held last month.
Thousands protest in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday dismissed the idea of holding early elections, while thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv for an anti-government protest.
Netanyahu has seen his popularity plummet in opinion polls since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.
Anti-government protests that shook the country for much of 2023 have largely subsided during the war. Still, demonstrators again took to the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday night calling for new elections, which are not scheduled until 2026.
The crowd was much smaller than last years’ mass protests, numbering a few thousand, according to local media.
“I’d like to say to the government that you’ve had your time, you ruined everything that you can ruin. Now is the time for the people to correct all the things, all the bad things that you’ve done,” said one protester, his head wrapped in an Israeli flag.
Netanyahu was asked at a press briefing about calls within his own ruling Likud party to hold early elections right when the Gaza war ends.
“The last thing we need right now are elections and dealing with elections, since it will immediately divide us,” he said. “We need unity right now.”
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