Current:Home > reviewsBlinken urges Israel to comply with international law in war against Hamas as truce is extended -WealthMindset
Blinken urges Israel to comply with international law in war against Hamas as truce is extended
View
Date:2025-04-13 22:40:16
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday stepped up calls for Israel to comply with international law as it wages its war against Hamas in Gaza.
On his third trip to the Middle East since the war began on Oct. 7, Blinken said the U.S. remains committed to supporting Israel’s right to self defense. But he also said it is imperative that Israel protect civilians if it starts major military operations in southern Gaza.
His message aligns with the Biden administration’s shifting rhetoric on the war, which began as a full-throated embrace of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks but gradually tempered as the number of Palestinian civilian casualties began to rise dramatically. The death toll and scale of destruction has prompted widespread international criticism, including from members of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.
Meeting in Jerusalem just hours after Israel and Hamas agreed at the last minute to a third extension of a cease-fire agreement under which Israel has paused most military activity in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas, Blinken assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he could count on U.S. support.
But he added that such support requires Israel’s “compliance with international humanitarian law,” and he “urged Israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm,” the State Department said.
To prevent a further major increase in civilian casualties, Blinken “stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there,” the department said.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter in southern Gaza after fleeing their homes in the northern part of the territory due to the conflict, and U.S. officials have been warning Israel that any offensive in southern Gaza must take into account the safety of the civilian population there.
In addition, Blinken “urged immediate steps to hold settler extremists accountable for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank” and said the U.S. places great importance on the resumption of a peace process that would eventually lead to the creation of a Palestinian state
Israeli officials have pledged to the U.S. on multiple occasions that Israeli settler violence will be punished, but the Palestinians have complained of inaction on that front. And, Netanyahu is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, having told Israelis that he is the only political leader who can prevent it.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement about the meeting with Blinken that contained no mention of settler violence or a two-state solution.
Instead, in a recorded message, Netanyahu noted that his talks with Blinken had taken place shortly after a Hamas-claimed attack in which two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on commuters at the entrance to Jerusalem, killing at least three people.
Netanyahu said he told Blinken, “This is the same Hamas that carried out the terrible massacre on Oct. 7, the same Hamas that tries to murder us everywhere. I told him: We swore, and I swore, to eliminate Hamas. Nothing will stop us.”
“We will continue this war until we achieve the three goals — to release all our abductees, to eliminate Hamas completely and to ensure that Gaza will never again face such a threat,” Netanyahu said.
Blinken met with Netanyahu and his war Cabinet in Jerusalem before traveling to the occupied West Bank for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
In his meeting with Abbas, Blinken focused on efforts to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and condemned Jewish settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. Blinken told Abbas “he would continue to insist on full accountability for those responsible,” the State Department said.
Blinken also told Abbas that “the United States remains committed to advancing tangible steps for a Palestinian state,” it said.
The top U.S. diplomat will close out his latest Mideast tour in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, where he will discuss the Gaza situation with Arab leaders gathered in Dubai for the COP28 climate change conference.
veryGood! (6529)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Scorching hot Death Valley temperatures could flirt with history this weekend: See latest forecast
- Vikings’ Khyree Jackson, 2 former college football players killed in car crash in Maryland
- Morgan Wallen should be forgiven for racial slur controversy, Darius Rucker says
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Brad Pitt and Girlfriend Ines de Ramon Make Rare Appearance at F1 British Grand Prix
- After Hurricane Beryl tears through Jamaica, Mexico, photos show destruction left behind
- Costco to pay $2M in class action settlement over flushable wipes: Here's what to know
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 'MaXXXine' ends trilogy in bloody style. But is it truly done? Spoilers!
Ranking
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Copa America 2024: Results, highlights as Colombia dominates Panama 5-0
- Minnesota Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson Dead at 24 After Car Crash
- Watch aggressive cat transform into gentle guardian after her owner had a baby
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Klay Thompson posts heartfelt message to Bay Area, thanks Warriors
- Alcaraz and Sinner both reach Wimbledon quarterfinals and are 1 match away from another meeting
- U.S. troops leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup, officials say
Recommendation
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
Trump ally Nigel Farage heckles his hecklers as his far-right Reform UK Party makes gains in U.K. election
Tour de France rider fined for stopping to kiss wife during time trial
‘Despicable Me 4’ debuts with $122.6M as boom times return to the box office
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
At Essence, Black Democrats rally behind Biden and talk up Kamala Harris
Pregnant Francesca Farago Shares How Jesse Sullivan's Teen Arlo Feels About Becoming an Older Sibling
Watch this 100-year-old World War II veteran marry his 96-year-old bride in Normandy