Blinken stresses need for Palestinian state in phone calls with Saudi, Emirati and Qatari counterparts
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stresses the need for the establishment of a Palestinian state in phone calls with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The US has intensified its rhetoric in favor of a two-state solution since the war’s outbreak, hoping that the potential removal of Hamas from Gaza will provide an opening for the Palestinian Authority’s eventual return in what would better unite the enclave with the West Bank and lay the groundwork for a two-state solution with Israel.
Israel has all but rejected the idea though, with Netanyahu stressing that he will not allow the PA in its current form to return to Gaza.
In his call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Blinken also welcomed the hostage deal slated to be implemented later this week, which will allow for at least a four-day truce during which the sides have agreed to surge humanitarian aid into the Strip.
In his call with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Blinken thanked MBAR for his efforts to negotiate the hostage deal, and the two discussed efforts to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, according to the US readout. They also stressed the need to get foreign nationals out of Gaza.
As of Tuesday, 800 US citizens, permanent residents and their families have managed to exit Gaza but 1,200 people in those categories remain.
In his call with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two discussed efforts to expand aid into Gaza while keeping the conflict from spreading. The two also “affirmed our shared commitment to building a more secure and prosperous region,” the US readout says.