Blinken carries Arab message to Israel: keep Palestinian State hopes alive
(VOVWORLD) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his latest mission to rein in the Gaza conflict, told Israeli leaders on Tuesday there was still a chance of winning acceptance from their Arab neighbors, if they create a path to a viable Palestinian state.
 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israel's President Isaac Herzog, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East. (Photo: REUTERS) |
On his fourth trip to the region since October, Blinken said he would share what he had heard in two days of talks with Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
His talks with Israel will include a meeting with the Israeli Conflict Cabinet formed in the wake of the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants from Hamas, that Israel says killed 1,200 people.
Blinken’s meetings around the region have focused on trying to chart a longer-term approach to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict, as part of a path toward ending the Gaza conflict.
After his meetings with Arab allies, he said they wanted integration with Israel – a long-term Israeli aim – but only if that included a “practical pathway” to a Palestinian state.