Blinken: Pathway to Palestinian Statehood Key to Regional Stability and Isolating Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said offering a pathway to a Palestinian state is the best way to stabilize the wider region and isolate Iran and its proxies.
Blinken made these remarks in a statement as he wrapped his fourth tour to the Middle East amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
As the war on Gaza enters its 4th month and threatens to be spilled over into broader region in countries like Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, Blinken has been vying for a way forward to end the war.
During his latest frenetic tour, Blinken continued his shuttle diplomacy of visiting the Arab States including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as well as Turkey and Israel.
After the conclusion of his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Blinken said the region faced two paths; an integrated Israel and a Palestinian state or the continuation of hostilities in the region.
He vied for the first path, stating that pursuing it would result into “Israel integrated, with security assurances and commitments from regional countries and as well from the US, and a Palestinian state.”
He warned that the second path includes the continuation of destruction by groups backed by Iran.
He said pursuing the first path is the “single best way to isolate, to marginalise Iran and the proxies that are making so much trouble – for us and for pretty much everyone else in the region.”
Blinken’s latest visit came a day after Egypt and Jordan warned that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza must not displace the strip’s 2.3 million people or end in an Israeli occupation.
Before arriving in Cairo, Blinken also met with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
During the meeting, Blinken reiterated the US’s support for Palestinian statehood and called for the PA to govern Gaza once the war is over. However, such a scenario has not been endorsed by the Israeli political leadership.
Israel’s offensive on Gaza continues unabated. More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed and some 60,000 are injured. As per Gaza’s Health Ministry, about 7,000 people remain missing under the rubble and are also presumed dead.
Due to the fears of Gaza war setting off a regional conflagration, earlier, Blinken also urged the Arab countries to “keep a lid on things” to avoid a spread of the conflict.
Moreover, previously he has also insisted on the necessity for Israel to reduce civilian casualties as images of the devastation caused by its bombardment of Gaza trigger worldwide condemnations.
For the past three months, Hezbollah and Israeli forces remain engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire at Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
More recently, the US and UK have also launched airstrikes on Yemen as the group continued to attack vessels in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the US forces in Iraq and Syria have also faced a surge in attacks since the start of the war.
Blinken comments came as South Africa brought Israel to the bench of the International Court of Justice on genocide charges.