By Manal Abdel Fattah
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that there are efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading and to work to deliver more humanitarian aid to people who need it in Gaza, and to increase protection for civilians.
He confirmed, during a press conference today, Israel’s agreement for the United Nations to send an assessment team to northern Gaza to consider the conditions that will be necessary to begin returning the people of the Strip to the north.
He continued: We have a commitment from the Palestinian Authority to seek meaningful reforms, and we see the United Nations Security Council announcing its position regarding the ongoing Houthi aggression, which represents a danger to shipping in the Red Sea and poses a threat to countries around the world.
He added: The challenge we face at this moment, because things are very difficult, I believe that this actually strengthens the countries’ commitment to working to find a real solution that puts us on a long-term path towards real peace and stability, and there is a path that brings together Israel’s needs and desires for integration in the region and real security. With Palestinian aspirations to establish a state of their own, which must be done both together, through regional coordination and a regional approach, one cannot be achieved without the other.
He stressed that this will not happen overnight. But there is now greater willingness among countries to make difficult decisions and do what is necessary to advance on this path, and there are security guarantees and commitments from countries in the region, as well as from the United States.
He continued: The best way to isolate and marginalize Iran is with the proxies who cause a lot of trouble for us and almost everyone in the region, and I think this vision is very clear for many of the leaders we spoke to in the region.
