US stresses need for ‘political horizon’ for Palestinians
Blinken says countries in the region will be reluctant to invest in the reconstruction and future of Gaza without a “political horizon” to resolve the broader conflict.
“There’s a very strong and widely held belief in the region and beyond that dealing with the threat posed by Hamas militarily may be necessary, but it’s insufficient,” he said. “And absent a political dimension, what we’re looking at ultimately is an enduring insurgency that will bleed and drain Israel and a perpetual war.”
Blinken criticises Israeli policies towards Palestinians
Despite providing billions of dollars to Israel and voting against several UN resolutions aimed at ending the Israeli occupation, the US has issued a rare criticism of Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
Blinken said Israel must acknowledge that Palestinians will never accept “being a non-people without national rights”.
“Israelis must abandon the myth that they can carry out de facto annexation without cost and consequence to Israel’s democracy, to its standing, to its security,” he said.
Blinken added that establishing “time-bound” conditions for Palestinian statehood will allow other countries to provide the security forces and financial support for the Gaza “day after” plan.
The top US diplomat also criticised Israel for withholding Palestinian taxes from the PA, the “unprecedented growth in illegal outposts” in the occupied West Bank and the rise in settler violence.
Blinken calls for new path, defends old US policies
Concluding his farewell remarks on the Middle East, the US secretary of state cited a 2021 documentary that asked children in Gaza what they want to be when they grow up.
One girl wanted to become a doctor to treat people injured in war; a boy wanted to be a pilot to fly people out of the besieged territory and help them see the world; and another dreamed of becoming an engineer to help rebuild homes. “I know Israeli girls and boys have very similar dreams,” Blinken said in a solemn tone.
Still, Blinken’s State Department approved billions of dollars in weapons that helped kill 17,800 Palestinian children in Gaza.
Blinken called for “another path” in the region away from war and violence, but he failed to acknowledge that the Biden administration has provided Israel with a seemingly bottomless supply of bombs to carry out horrific atrocities against Palestinians.
And while leading rights groups and UN experts have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, Blinken described the suffering of Palestinians without assigning responsibility for it.
He said Palestinians are “caught in the crossfire” between Israel and Hamas – as if Gaza was devastated by street fighting, not the tonnes of US-supplied explosives that Israel dropped in Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and residential buildings.
Moreover, Blinken painted a rosy picture of the Middle East pre-October 7, saying that the region was seeing further “integration” – a codeword for Israeli-Arab diplomatic and economic deals that have sidelined Palestinians.
In reality, 2022 and the first half of 2023 saw an uptick of deadly violence and settler attacks against Palestinians and a growth in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have described Israeli policies against Palestinians as apartheid well before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
While absolving the US of responsibility for Israel’s actions when it comes to Palestinians, Blinken tried to take credit for the spoils of the war, including the weakening of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance”.
But for many rights advocates, the “strategic gains” that Blinken outlined will never overshadow the US-backed campaign of destruction and starvation that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
That was demonstrated during Blinken’s remarks at the Atlantic Council, with many protesters interrupting his speech and reminding him that the atrocities in Gaza will always be part of his legacy.
A protestor interrupts Blinken during a speech at the Atlantic Council, January 14, 2025
CNN's take
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/14/politics/antony-blinken-post-war-gaza-plans
Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his most detailed picture yet of his long-awaited plans for post-war Gaza on Tuesday as he stressed the importance of not leaving a power vacuum in the decimated enclave.
Blinken presented the “core elements” in a speech at the Atlantic Council just days before his term as top US diplomat comes to an end. Although he said the plans would be handed over to the incoming Trump team, there is no evidence that the new administration intends to follow through with them.
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