Page 7 - Antony Blinken

Blinken urges united future Palestinian govt for Gaza and West Bank

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Wednesday for a united and Palestinian-led government for Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, as a step toward Palestinian statehood. That vision sharpens U.S. differences with ally Israel on what the future should look like for the Palestinian territories once Israel's military campaign against Hamas winds down. Blinken's outline of what Americans think should come next for Gaza also serves as a check on the postwar scenarios floated by officials of Israel's hard-right government and its supporters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement Monday that Israel's military would likely maintain security control of Gaza for an indefinite period" appears to have heightened U.S. concerns. Any postwar governing plan for Gaza must include Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, Blinken told reporters in Japan. He and other top diplomats of the Group of Seven leading industrial ...

Hamas war: G7 announces unified stance supporting Israel after Tokyo meet

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies announced a unified stance on the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday after intensive meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel's right to self-defence and calling for humanitarian pauses to speed aid to desperate Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the nations sought to balance criticism of Hamas' attacks against Israel and a push for urgent action to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave in need of food, water, medical care and shelter. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Italy emphasised that they support humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and release of hostages. There was also condemnation of the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians, which the ministers said is unacceptable, undermines security in the West Bank, and threatens

Blinken arrives in Turkey for another key meeting amid Israel-Hamas war

Turkey happens to be his last stop in the region before heading to Asia

Israel-Hamas war: Blinken meets Palestinian leader amid escalating tensions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought his frenetic Mideast diplomatic push on the Israel-Hamas war to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his latest bid to ease civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip and begin to sketch out a post-conflict scenario for the territory. Blinken travelled to Ramallah for his previously unannounced visit in an armoured motorcade and under tight security just hours after Israeli warplanes struck a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens, health officials said. Despite the secrecy and the State Department refusing to confirm the trip until after Blinken had physically left the West Bank, protests erupted against his visit and US support for Israel as word of his arrival leaked. Aside from pleasantries, neither man spoke as they greeted each other in front of cameras and the meeting ended without any public comment. It was not immediately clear if the lack of words

Israel-Hamas conflict: Blinken reiterates US stance on Gaza ceasefire

Instead of endorsing a ceasefire, Blinken emphasised the importance of "humanitarian pauses," a concept that has faced opposition from Israeli officials, as reported by CNN

Conditions in Gaza must improve to have 'partners for peace': US to Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel on Friday that it risks destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acts swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas. In a blunt call for Israel to pause military operations in the territory to allow for the immediate and increased delivery of assistance, Blinken said the current situation would drive Palestinians toward further radicalism and effectively end prospects for any eventual resumption of peace talks to end the conflict. There will be no partners for peace if they're consumed by humanitarian catastrophe and alienated by any perceived indifference to their plight," Blinken said, even as the call for a temporary pause without the release by Hamas of Israeli hostages was swiftly rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel would be going with full steam ahead." The comments to reporters in Tel Aviv, following meetings with .

Latest LIVE updates: Strong earthquake tremors felt across Delhi-NCR

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

US Secretary of State Blinken lands in Israel to push for pause in war

Hamas decision was right, wise and courageous, said Hezbollah leader

74 US dual nationals left Gaza Strip as Blinken goes to Mideast, says Biden

President Joe Biden said Thursday that 74 U.S. citizens with dual citizenship have left the Gaza Strip, announcing the development as he dispatched his top diplomat to the Middle East for consultation with Israeli and Jordanian leaders concerning the Israel-Hamas war. We got out today 74 American folks out that are dual citizens," Biden said in a brief exchange with reporters as he hosted Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader for an Oval Office meeting. The White House has previously said some 500 to 600 U.S. citizens had been trapped in Gaza since the start of the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war. Since then, the nearly four-week-old conflict continues to rage on with no end in sight. The administration said earlier this week that a handful of Americans were among dozens of dual citizens who were able to get out of the Strip where a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Biden made the announcement as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set off for another frenzied trip to the Middle Eas

US has Israel's back, but has responsibility to protect civilians: Blinken

"Hamas deliberately uses civilians as human shields and puts weaponry underneath schools and hospitals making the task incredibly challenging but one has to rise to that responsibility," said Blinken

Blinken will enter diplomatic maelstrom over Gaza war on new Mideast trip

Just weeks after a frenzied trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the region with a somewhat more nuanced message than he offered in the immediate aftermath of Hamas' bloody October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's military response. As he did last month, Blinken will stress U.S. support for Israel and try to prevent a wider Mideast war as he visits Israel and Jordan starting on Friday. But Blinken's agenda this time is more crowded and more complex as the conflict intensifies and the Biden administration grapples with competing domestic and international interests and anger. He'll push for the evacuation of more foreigners from Gaza and more humanitarian aid for the territory. He'll press Israel to rein in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank committed by Jewish settlers. And, he'll stress the importance of protecting civilians even though the administration has yet to offer any criticism of Israel for strikes that have killed

Blinken and Austin to travel to India for 2 plus 2 ministerial dialogue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would be travelling to India for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their Indian counterparts External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi this month, the State Department has said. In a statement issued on Wednesday, State Department Sokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken's trip to India comes at the end of a more than a week-long trip November 2 to November 10 beginning with Israel and Jordan, following which he would continue with his Indo-Pacific travels to Japan, S Korea and India. The exact dates of his trips to these countries have not been announced. In New Delhi, the US delegation will participate in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The delegation will meet with Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, and other senior Indian officials to discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific, ..

US, Israel weigh peacekeepers for Gaza strip after Hamas amid war

"Between those shoals are a variety of possible permutations that we're looking at very closely now, as are other countries," Blinken said

US State Secy Blinken to visit Israel on Friday as war with Hamas continues

On October 16, Antony Blinken arrived in Israel, the second time within a few days, to pledge support for the country as it continued its counter-offensive against Hamas

US announces fresh sanctions on eight individuals with Hamas connections

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that the United States is imposing fresh sanctions on eight individuals who have ties to Hamas, including those who played significant roles in "facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas-affiliated companies".He also said that four entities with ties to Hamas and other designated terrorist organisations are also being sanctioned."We are imposing sanctions on eight individuals with ties to Hamas, including those who have played key roles in facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas-affiliated companies, as well as sanctioning four entities for their ties to Hamas & other designated terrorist organisations," posted Blinken on X.Earlier in the day, the US imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting key Hamas-linked officials, financial networks and Iran-based organisations that were involved in the funding of the terror group.The US Treasury Department informed about the sanctions following the October 7 attacks on Israel by ...

US Secy Antony Blinken meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Washington

The meeting was part of a reciprocal visit following Blinken's travel to Beijing and recent meetings as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open communication and responsibly manage US-China relations

Terror acts by LeT in Mumbai or Hamas in Kibbutz Be'eri unlawful: Blinken

Drawing a parallel between terrorist attacks by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba in Mumbai and by Hamas in Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that all acts of terrorism are "unlawful and unjustifiable" and the Security Council must denounce member states that arm, fund and train terrorist groups. Blinken made the remarks while addressing the Security Council ministerial meeting on the situation in the Middle East following the October 7 attack on Israel by Gaza-based Hamas militants. "We must affirm the right of any nation to defend itself and to prevent such horror from repeating itself. No member of this Council, no nation in this entire body could or would tolerate the slaughter of its people, Blinken told the UN Security Council here. In his remarks, Blinken drew a parallel between the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel and the Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba in Mumbai. "As this Council and the UN General Assembly have repeatedl

China's Wang Yi to visit US from Oct 26-28, to hold talks with Blinken

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the US on Thursday for a three-day visit and hold talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a part of the Biden administration's efforts to maintain an open channel of communications with Beijing. Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart in Washington from October 26-28, the State Department said in a press release on Monday. The two will discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to manage the US-China relationship responsibly and maintain open channels of communication, the State Department said. Ties between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly fraught lately. The two nations have been locked in an escalating trade spat since early 2018, raising import tariffs on each other's goods. The United States will continue to use diplomacy to advance US interests and values, address areas of difference, and make progress on shared transnational challenges, the press release said. Wang's

US ready to respond if personnel become targets of Israel-Hamas war: Austin

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday said the United States expects the Israel-Hamas war to escalate through involvement by proxies of Iran and asserted that the Biden administration is prepared to respond if American personnel or armed forces become the target of any such hostilities. This is not what we want, not what we're looking for. We don't want escalation, Blinken said. "We don't want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we're ready for it. Austin, echoing Blinken, said what we're seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region. He said the US has the right to self-defence and we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action. The warning from the high-ranking US officials came as Israel's military response to a deadly October 7 attack by Hamas on civilians in communities in southern Israel entered its third week. Israeli warplanes str

LIVE news: Hundreds killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City hospital

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here