From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Blinken reiterates in call to Abbas that Hamas doesn’t represent Palestinians
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas earlier today and expressed his condolences over the deadly blast near a Gaza City hospital, which Israel has blamed on a failed Islamic Jihad rocket.
Blinken “expressed continuing US support for the Palestinian people, stressing that Hamas terrorists do not represent Palestinians or their legitimate aspirations for self-determination and equal measures of dignity, freedom, security, and justice,” according to the State Department readout.
Blinken “emphasized that the United States unequivocally condemns all terrorism and stressed the United States’ firm commitment to upholding the law of war, to include important protections for civilians.”
Blinken and Abbas also “discussed continuing US efforts to coordinate the provision of urgent, life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, in tandem with partners, and efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading,” the State Department says.
