US Secretary of State ADonnie Blinken expressed his “sorrow” over the death of “innocent Palestinians” during the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts at a meeting today with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank.

“Let me begin by expressing condolences and regret for the loss of innocent Palestinian civilian lives as a result of the escalating violence,” said a senior US diplomat from the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah.

According to AFP estimates based on official Israeli and Palestinian data, 235 people died in violent incidents between Israelis and Palestinians in 2022, 90% of whom were Palestinians. Last year was the bloodiest in the West Bank since 2005, according to the UN.

“Palestinians, like Israelis, are gripped by a growing sense of insecurity and heightened fear in their communities and places of worship,” Blinken continued. “We consider it important to take de-escalation measures to stop the violence,” he added, warning against any action that could jeopardize the two-state solution. As such actions, he mentioned “expansion of (Jewish) settlements, legalization of arbitrary (approved by a non-Jewish government) settlements, demolition and eviction.”

Abbas, for his part, accused Israel of escalating violence in the West Bank and called for “a complete end to Israel’s unilateral actions that violate signed agreements and international law.” He also reaffirmed the constant demand of the Palestinians for an end to the occupation.

“Now we are ready to work with the US government and the international community to restore political dialogue to end the Israeli occupation of the territories of the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement said. statement made by the President of Palestine.

Blinken’s tour of the Middle East (Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Territories) ends tonight.

Source: APE/MEB