Blinken's calls for calm seem to fall flat
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank Tuesday with little to show for his renewed appeals for Israeli-Palestinian calm amid an alarming spike of violence.
Blinken met Tuesday with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah, a day after seeing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Afterward, he said the recent surge in violence was deeply concerning and that it is the responsibility of both sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation.
But neither Abbas nor Netanyahu offered any public pledge on such steps. Blinken said he was leaving two senior aides behind to explore ideas on how to lower the tensions but he declined to say what those are.
Beyond urging a reduction in tension, Blinken offered no new U.S. initiative to do so. And, there were few signs that Blinken was making progress on even the modest short-term goal of halting the latest wave of violence, much less of addressing the broader issues surrounding peace talks.
“The rising tide of violence has resulted in the loss of many innocent lives on both sides,” he told reporters in Jerusalem before departing for Washington. “All sides must take steps to prevent further escalation of violence.
Blinken said he had instructed Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, and Hady Amr, the U.S. envoy to the Palestinians, to remain in the region to work to defuse tensions. But it was not clear how long they would stay or what their work might consist of.
Blinken also said the U.S. would oppose “anything” that undermines the the two-state vision, including new settlement construction, legalizing settlement outposts, demolitions of Palestinian homes and incitement to violence.
“Restoring calm is our immediate task. But over the longer term, we have to do more than just lower tensions,” he said. “The United States is committed to working toward our enduring goal of ensuring that Palestinians and Israelis enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justice and dignity.”
In Ramallah, Abbas placed all blame for the spike in violence on Israel and berated the international community for not doing more to pressure Israel.
“We affirm that the Israeli government is responsible for what is happening today,” he said, adding: “Israel is being overlooked, without deterrence or accountability, as it continues its unilateral operations.”