Blinken resets ties with Palestinians in 1st Mideast trip – Everett Post

Everett

(WASHINGTON) – After four years in which President Donald Trump overturned US policy towards Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken seems intent on a reset.

On his first flight through the Middle East, America’s new top diplomat attempted to resume the historic role of the United States as a power broker and peacemaker between Israelis and Palestinians, even though he and President Joe Biden had tried to divert American attention away from the Middle East.

At meetings in Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan, Blinken tried to build on last week’s ceasefire to rebuild Gaza, with the destruction widespread, and now, after the ten-day conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas working towards two -state solution.

While Trump and his team are claiming the “Abraham Accords,” the historic agreements between the Israeli governments and those of four Arab neighbors, they have cut US relations with the Palestinians – closed diplomatic institutions and suspended US aid and held back opposition to Israeli settlements.

But neither these deals nor Trump’s Middle East peace plan have addressed the needs of the Palestinian people, which analysts say has made the Palestinians worse and more desperate.

“The United States’ ability to play a productive role in averting, alleviating and ending conflict is severely impaired when we are separated from the Palestinian people,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street’s liberal advocacy group, accusing called him “the grave harm done to that relationship by President Trump.”

In contrast, Blinken announced Tuesday that the Biden government would restore these diplomatic ties by reopening its Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has long served as a liaison with the Palestinian people and leadership. This de facto embassy was closed by Trump in March 2019 and converted into the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, which the former president recognized as Israel’s capital.

Blinken immediately stressed the need to rebuild Gaza, the Palestinian territory ruled by the militant group Hamas, which was largely destroyed by Israeli air strikes this month. The Biden government will allocate $ 5.5 million to Gaza for the restoration of basic services such as running water, sanitation and electricity, Blinken said, and another $ 32 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in Gaza Middle East or the UNRWA operating there the area and elsewhere.

This funding includes cash for families, according to USAID, to purchase basic necessities, medical and psychosocial assistance for some of the 100,000 Gazans displaced by the violence in recent weeks.

After meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday, Blinken also said Egypt would provide $ 500 million for reconstruction, while the Qatar government has also pledged $ 500 million, according to the Qatar state news agency.

In addition to that urgent assistance, Blinken said his department will seek US $ 75 million from Congress for longer-term economic and development aid for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, bringing the total US aid for this fiscal year to $ 360 million.

While Hamas ruled Gaza, Blinken argued that US funding would not benefit the militant group and could also undermine their takeover there by providing opportunities for ordinary Gazans.

“I have received a shared understanding from all sides that steps must be taken and that work must be done to address the underlying conditions that fueled this recent conflict. The ceasefire creates space to take these steps, ”said Blinken on Tuesday evening after the meeting with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

He added that reconstruction “must convey a new sense of trust, optimism and real opportunity. … If we can do all of this together, Hamas will gain a foothold in Gaza. “

Abbas has little or no influence in Gaza, but remains in power after years of deep unpopularity, partly because the Palestinians have not held elections since 2006, when his party Fatah Gaza lost to Hamas. The elections scheduled for this month were postponed by Abbas last month, citing Israel’s refusal to allow them to proceed in Jerusalem.

Laila Barhoum, a political and campaign officer for the Oxfam aid group in Gaza, agreed that the US must play a role, including promoting Palestinian elections and ensuring that reconstruction in Gaza is “in Palestinian hands”.

“We cannot go back to zero because there is nothing to go back to. We need to move on with reforms – make sure the aid addresses not only people’s basic needs, but also their ability to lead a decent life, ”she said on Wednesday.

“We have a dynamic now and everyone is talking about Gaza,” she added. “But that is decreasing and Gaza and Palestine are going to the back.”

This was even evident in Blinken’s press conference Wednesday evening in Amman, Jordan, where reporters urged him to bring up human rights issues with Sisi, the president of the strong man, whose dire record has not stopped US aid or the sale of the military.

However, it is unclear whether the Biden government is willing to get more involved or invest in the issue, especially when it comes to prioritizing climate change and China.

At least one note was different on Tuesday in Ramallah. As a father, Blinken spoke with emotion and mourned the loss of a child as a “universe of loss”. … Whether you are Israeli, Palestinian or American, you are human. That’s what counts.”