by Sharon Wrobel
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken supported equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians and reiterated the administration’s commitment to a two-state solution in an interview, while reaffirming that the US will give Israel the “means to defend itself.”
“President Biden’s been very clear that he remains committed to a two-state solution. Ultimately, it is the only way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, and of course, the only way to give the Palestinians the state to which they’re entitled,” Blinken said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “That’s where we have to go. But that, I don’t think, is something for — necessarily for today. We have to start putting in place the conditions that would allow both sides to engage in a meaningful and positive way toward two states.”
“If we can’t find a way to help Palestinians live with more dignity and with more hope, the cycle’s likely to repeat itself, and that is in no one’s interest,” Blinken cautioned.
The Secretary of State is scheduled to travel to the Middle East in coming days to meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and regional leaders. The visit comes after Israel and the Hamas militant group agreed to a bilateral and unconditional ceasefire, which took effect on Friday following 11 days of clashes. During the operation Guardian of the Walls, which started on May 10, about 4,340 rockets were fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, with 640 of them falling within Gaza. In response, Israel has struck a total of 1,600 military targets, including 340 rocket launchers and destroyed more than 60 miles of underground terror tunnels in the Gaza Strip, which were used for the transfer of rockets and movement of operatives from one area to another.
Asked about new arms sales to Israel, Blinken reaffirmed the country’s right to defend itself and confirmed America’s commitment to give “Israel the means to defend itself, especially when it comes to these indiscriminate rocket attacks against civilians. Any country would respond to that.”
“At the same time, any arms sale is going to be done in full consultation with Congress. And we want to make sure that that process works effectively,” he added.
Blinken’s comments come as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Thursday proposed legislation to halt the sale of $735 million in arms to Israel following the latest cycle of hostilities and violence in Gaza. Sanders’ initiative followed a similar resolution introduced by Democrats in the US House of Representatives.
Blinken emphasized the immediate need to deal with the “grave humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
“Then reconstruction, rebuilding what’s been lost, and, critically, engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements in the lives of people so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of security, of peace, and of dignity,” he said. “It’s vitally important that Palestinians feel hope and have opportunity and can live in security, just as it is for Israelis. And there should be equal measures. So ultimately, I think that that hope, that security, that dignity can — will be found in a Palestinian state.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/23/us-committed-to-continue-giving-israel-means-to-defend-itself-says-blinken-ahead-of-middle-east-visit/.
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