New Delhi/Geneva/Memphis: The United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken today acknowledged that “Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks”.
Blinken, who was in New Delhi on the last leg of a nine-day trip of “intensive diplomacy” throughout the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, told media persons, appreciated that from day one, India strongly condemned the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, on Israeli citizens. “And as our joint statement makes clear, India and the United States stand with Israel against terrorism,” Blinken said. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said India and the United States stand with Israel against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.
“Much more needs to be done to protect civilians and to make sure that humanitarian assistance reaches them [Gazans],” Blinken said but appreciated Israel’s announcement yesterday about four-hour pauses with three-hour notice in specific areas, as well as two humanitarian corridors that will allow people to move more safely and freely to get out of harm’s way and also to access assistance. “These steps will save lives and will enable more assistance to get to Palestinians in need,” he said, stressing that what Israel announced yesterday will help. “It will help in enabling people to get out of harm’s way; it will help in enabling people to get greater access to humanitarian assistance,” he said.
World Health Organization (WHO) reported today that some 12 children with cancer or other blood disorders were evacuated, with their companions, from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan so they may continue their treatment safely. “Additional children are expected to be evacuated for cancer treatment as part of this initiative,” WHO stated, adding that to facilitate the move, the World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital coordinated with officials from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territory, and the US, as well as members of the St. Jude Global Alliance, a worldwide community of institutions and foundations dedicated to helping children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
“We want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them,” Blinken said, adding that to that end, the US will be continuing to discuss with Israel concrete steps that can be taken to advance these objectives.
Both India and the USA today called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. “We’ll continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home. We’ll continue to focus on expanding humanitarian assistance that gets into Gaza and reaches people in effective ways. And we’ll continue to focus on the steps that can be taken now to try to start to set the foundation for durable and lasting peace, which, as we’ve said repeatedly and believe, has to include two states for two peoples,” he elaborated.
Today India also expressed support for humanitarian pauses and stated it together with the USA was committed to continuing close diplomatic coordination, including with key partners in the region, to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Blinken stated they were committed to continue coordinating with partners in the region on humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
While reiterating the USA’s commitment to two states, Blinken said in terms of the longer-term conditions a real foundation for lasting peace and lasting security was needed, “because that’s the objective for Palestinians and Israelis alike”. He claimed the US had made “some progress first in trying to establish some basic principles that can guide us in that effort, including among them: no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza; no use of Gaza as a platform for launching terrorism or other attacks against Israel; no diminution in the territory of Gaza; and a commitment to Palestinian-led governance for Gaza and for the West Bank, and in a unified way”.
– global bihari bureau
