JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that the Palestinian state must stand side by side with Israel in a safe and peaceful manner when meeting President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, Wednesday.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in today's meeting Foreign Minister Blinken told President Abbas the White House supports concrete steps towards the formation of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Blinken, he continued, reiterated Washington's longstanding position, the Palestinian state must stand next to Israel, "by living in peace and security," as quoted by The Times of Israel on January 10.
Foreign Minister Blinken further underlined, "boosting volatility" in the West Bank, where there has been a wave of attacks on Israel and an increase in IDF operations to crack down on Hamas and other groups. There has also been an increase in violence against Palestinians perpetrated by Jewish settlers.
"And, the US Foreign Minister also underlined the position of the United States, that all Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel, must be consistently submitted to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with previous agreements," Miller said.
The meeting with President Abbas was held after Foreign Minister Blinken held a series of meetings with Israeli leaders, President Isaac Herzog to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister visited a number of Washington allies in the Arab region, which he said wanted closer ties with Israel but only if it included "a practical path" to the Palestinian state.
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At a press conference, Foreign Minister Blinken declined to explain how PM Netanyahu and his cabinet responded to his call to the Palestinian state. He said Israel should take "difficult decisions, difficult choices" to take advantage of the opportunities offered by regional integration.
"The violence of extremist settlers that is carried out without punishment, the expansion of settlements, demolition, evictions, all of which make it difficult, not easier, for Israel to achieve lasting peace and security," he said, alluding to the conflict in the West Bank.
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