12/2/2023–|Last updated: 12/2/202305:20 AM (Mecca time)
Yesterday, Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sought to begin discussions with Arab countries about the future of the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the end of the truce and Israel’s resumption of its aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Blinken told reporters before boarding his plane back to Washington that the discussions with Arab foreign ministers included the current situation of the Israel-Hamas war, and the ongoing work to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Strip.
He added that they also talked about “what will happen the next day in Gaza, and how we can take the path to a lasting and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and indeed for everyone in the region.”
A senior State Department official said before the meeting that Arab countries had previously opposed US attempts to discuss the future of Gaza after Hamas, and demanded an immediate ceasefire instead, but US officials hoped the truce had paved the way for talks.
But the truce collapsed yesterday, Friday, and Blinken did not go into details about how the discussions proceeded, while US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller indicated that Blinken met with a number of Arab foreign ministers, in addition to representatives of the Palestinian Authority on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference. United Nations “COP 28” in Dubai, at the conclusion of the third visit to the region since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7.
The senior State Department official stated earlier that Washington wants to begin talks on how to manage the Gaza Strip if Israel succeeds in achieving its goal of eliminating Hamas.
Blinken said last month that Washington wants the Palestinians to rule Gaza and does not want to see Israel reoccupy the Strip, blockade it, or reduce its area.
The official told reporters before the meeting, requesting that his name not be published, that a clear proposal has not yet emerged about the security and governance of Gaza in the future, but Washington wants to start talks and wants countries in the region to participate in the matter.
