In Front of the US Secretary of State, President Abbas Affirms that the Gaza Strip is an Integral Part of Palestine: Rejects All Separation Schemes

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Twitter/@SecBlinken)

JAKARTA - President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of Palestine, rejecting any attempts at separation, urging Washington to act to prevent Israel's expulsion of civilians from the West Bank, when receiving United States Minister of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah, Thursday.

Reaffirming Gaza as an inseparable part of Palestine, President Abbas rejected any acceptance or collaboration with Israel's scheme to separate the coastal region, reported Anadolu December 1.

"The importance of maintaining the current ceasefire in Gaza and achieving a comprehensive cessation of Israeli aggression, to protect civilians from airstrikes and violence carried out by the Israeli military," President Abbas underlined, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

He "stressed the importance of rapidly increasing humanitarian, medical and food assistance, as well as providing water, electricity and fuel," he said.

Furthermore, the Palestinian President urged Secretary of State Blinken to "compel the Israeli Government to immediately stop its actions and violations against Palestinian prisoners and the wider community."

He reiterated his steadfast rejection and prevention of the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

"(President) Abbas stressed the need for US intervention to thwart what he called the Israeli government's efforts to forcibly evict the Palestinian population in the West Bank, particularly in the Jordan Valley, where there are secret annexation plans carried out by settlers and Israeli occupation troops, WAFA reported.

It is known that this is the third time that Secretary of State Blinken has visited the Middle East, since the latest Hamas-Israel war broke out on October 7. Before meeting President Abbas, Foreign Minister Blinken met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu first.