Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas had produced results and that the United States hoped that it would continue. Sitting beside Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken said Washington was focused on helping to secure freedom for hostages taken to Gaza during an Oct. 7 attack during which Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 240. The pause has enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians who have been devastated by a month of war, Blinken said.
As part of his trip, Blinken met with Israel’s defense minister and other members of Netanyahu’s cabinet to urge them to prioritize the protection of civilians during any future offensive in southern Gaza. He also sought to jump-start discussions about a governance plan for the Palestinian territories once the fighting ends.
But he stopped short of pushing for a complete ceasefire, which many in the administration oppose. That is because the United States believes that Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas’ brutal assault. Blinken told Israel’s leaders that he understood their need to retaliate but that “the United States also has a responsibility to seek an outcome that minimizes the number of civilian casualties.”
In addition to urging a more targeted battlefield approach, Blinken also sought to bolster the Palestinian Authority by arguing that it cannot survive in the West Bank with Israel’s continuing withholding of tax revenues. He also urged the Palestinians to rein in Hamas and other extremist groups.
But Blinken’s trip has also been marred by rare public disagreements with America’s closest Arab allies, including Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir. In a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jubeir said the U.S. was not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism and that the United States needed to stop promoting “contagious ideas of hatred” in American universities.
The secretary of state will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas has warned that if Israel resumes its military operations in southern Gaza, the territory could be reduced to “a wasteland.” According to senior U.S. officials, Blinken will likely urge him to take great care to protect civilians and limit damage to infrastructure.
KELEMEN: Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the former head of the State Department’s Bureau of Near East Affairs, is a fierce critic of the Biden administration’s approach to Gaza. She tells me Blinken needs to ask more challenging questions of Israel about its goals in Gaza and what’s achievable. She doesn’t think eradicating Hamas is a viable option.
And if Israel doesn’t stop its bombardment of the Palestinian territory, she fears a regional war that will not end well for anyone. Our coverage of this developing story continues on CBS News’ The World Tonight with Peter Jennings at 8:00 PM ET. And check out our special report on the impact of the conflict on young Palestinians.