US Secretary of State visits West Bank amid Israel-Hamas conflict

US Secretary of State Blinken arrived in the city of Ramallah, central West Bank, to meet with Palestinian Authority President Abbas amid escalating Israel-Hamas conflict.

According to the US State Department's announcement on November 5 about the meeting that lasted about an hour, Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with the head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas "efforts to restore peace and stability in the West Bank, including the need to prevent extreme violence against Palestinians."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the central West Bank city of Ramallah on November 5. Photo: Reuters — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the central West Bank city of Ramallah on November 5. Photo: *Reuters*

Spokesperson Matt Miller said in a statement that Secretary Blinken "reaffirmed the US commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to save lives and restore essential services in Gaza, while emphasizing that the forced evacuation of Palestinian civilians must not be allowed."

Mr Blinken also highlighted the commitment to "working towards the goal of realizing the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and establishing a Palestinian state". The head of the US State Department suggested that the Palestinian Authority could play a role in the future of Gaza if Hamas is eliminated.

At a summit on November 4 with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Secretary of State Blinken said "everyone is deeply concerned about the escalation of extremist violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank", calling it "a serious problem that has gotten worse" since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out.

Tel Aviv then retaliated by tightening the siege, continuously bombarding and sending ground troops into Gaza since late last month. The Gaza Strip, home to more than 2.3 million Palestinians, has so far recorded more than 9,700 deaths.