Blinken Holds Talks With Arab Nations In Amman For Ceasefire

Amman: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived here from Tel Aviv on Saturday and plunged into discussions with top diplomats from Arab nations – Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and the Palestinian Authority – to mollify them as they are angry and suspicious of Israel’s intentions, asking them to think about the future of Gaza and its population. Blinken left Tel Aviv for the Jordan capital after wrapping up his third trip to the country since the Israel-Hamas war began to push US President Joe Biden’s agenda calling for a brief halt in the fighting to redress the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza with sparse relief flowing into the enclave which is facing horrors of aerial strikes leaving civilians dead and wounded. However, Blinken’s calls to Israel seemed to go unheeded as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains adamant and stubborn in his stand that there could be no humanitarian pause until Hamas releases all the 232 hostages it held, media reports said. On Saturday, Blinken held meetings in Amman with top diplomats from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority, who are angry and deeply suspicious of Israel’s intentions in the war to crush the Hamas. Blinken was seen pushing Jordan and other Arab states to give a thought to the future of Gaza if and when Israel succeeds in wresting control from Hamas. His talks also focused on aid distribution, allowing foreigners to get out and the release of hostages. Jordan has already made its stand clear as it has condemned the aerial strikes of Israel on a civilian population even if it was collateral damage, calling for immediate ceasefire. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Rania al Abdullah have been highly critical of Western nations’ silence on the deaths and devastation caused to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, calling it double standards as they were vocal earlier in protesting the October 7 attacks. Arab governments were unanimous in opposing US attempts to think of the postIsrael occupation of Gaza, resisting the suggestion of “any talks” on the post-war period in Gaza before establishing a ceasefire and allowing the delivery of more humanitarian aid and fuel to the enclave, according to the Egyptian officials.

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