As part of his second tour of the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a surprise visit this Sunday to the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas. The meeting took place in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the West Bank, where they discussed the Israeli offensive in Gaza, as well as possible future scenarios for this territory in the event that Hamas is defeated.
Blinken met with Abbas a day after his meeting with representatives of Arab countries, who reiterated their demand for a ceasefire in Gaza. Washington, for its part, has not yet appealed for a cessation of hostilities, although it unsuccessfully asked Israel for a “humanitarian pause” in the Strip to avoid more civilian deaths and be able to deliver humanitarian aid to the territory.
“I have no words to describe the genocide and destruction suffered by our Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of Israel’s war machine, which has no regard for the principles of international law,” Abbas told Blinken, in remarks published by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Palestinian leader called for an immediate ceasefire and for greater humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.
For his part, Blinken focused the meeting on considering the possibility of the Palestinian Authority controlling the Strip in a post-conflict scenario. The US Secretary of State suggested that an “effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority” could govern the Strip, although he stressed that other countries and international institutions could be in charge of the territory’s security, without giving further details. If Blinken’s plans are fulfilled, it would mean the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, after Hamas seized power from the PA in Gaza 16 years ago.
The militant group Hamas is a rival to Abbas’s party, Fatah, which is within the coalition of forces that make up the Palestinian Authority. “We will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes the entire (occupied) West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” Abbas responded. The Palestinian leader stressed that “military and security solutions” will not bring more security to Israel and insisted that peace can only be achieved by ending Israel’s occupation and establishing a Palestinian state.
For his part, Blinken reiterated the United States’ “commitment” to working toward the “realization of the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians for the establishment of a Palestinian State.” The US proposal comes at a time of great weakness for the Palestinian Authority, which exercises self-government with many limitations in the West Bank. Since last October 7, at least 122 Palestinians have died in Israeli Army operations in the West Bank.
There have been massive protests in both Ramallah and Jenin and other cities in the territory calling for the resignation of Abbas, who they consider a leader lacking authority and uncritical of the Israeli authorities. At the beginning of the war, Abbas was already facing a serious legitimacy crisis, with several cases of corruption in his party and accusations of authoritarianism. The 87-year-old Palestinian leader has been in power for 18 years and has never submitted his authority to the ballot box, nor has he managed to create greater unity between the different Palestinian political currents.
After the start of the war almost a month ago, Abbas has reiterated that Hamas’ actions do not represent the Palestinians, although as the Israeli offensive in Gaza has developed, he has focused his efforts on denouncing the killing of civilians in the Strip, which already exceeds 9,000 people. At this Sunday’s meeting in Ramallah, Blinken again committed to bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza and restoring essential services in the territory, although he did not allude to a possible cessation of the bombings and the Israeli ground operation.
Blinken ends his tour of the region in Turkey this Monday, where he will meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan.