US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday called on Israel to “stop taking measures that undermine the ability of the Palestinians to govern themselves effectively,” AFP reported.

Anthony BlinkenPhoto: WIN MCNAMEE / Getty images / Profimedia

“Israel must be a partner for Palestinian leaders who want to lead their people to a life of peace (with) Israel as a neighbor,” a US official insisted after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Instead, Israel accepts the principle of a UN mission to assess the situation in the northern Gaza Strip to consider the return of Palestinians displaced by the war, Blinken said.

“Today we agreed on a plan for a UN assessment mission that will determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip,” he told reporters.