President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has called for an immediate end to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip as the international community ramps up pressure on the regime to halt its protracted brutality against the besieged territory.
Abbas made the call in a meeting with the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday amid a growing chorus of Arab leaders stressing the need for a truce as the death toll in Gaza nears the 10,000 figure.
Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh was cited by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network as saying the meeting lasted less than an hour “far less time than anyone expected,” and wrapped up with no joint news conference or statements, likely indicating “substantial differences and disagreements” between Washington and the Palestinian Authority.
“One of the keywords that we heard from the Palestinian president is that [the Palestinians] are seeking a ‘ceasefire’… and demanding that the US seek a ‘ceasefire’,” the news network said.
“That’s one of the key differences… the US has said they will continue to look for humanitarian pauses… they are not seeking a ceasefire.”
Outraged by the Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza over the past four weeks, the international community, including the Muslim world and the Arab League, has called for a ceasefire and permanent delivery of relief aid into Gaza. But the occupying regime has so far defied such demands.
During a news conference in Amman on Saturday, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries want an immediate ceasefire, warning that “the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, whose country has been acting as the sole conduit for foreigners to leave Gaza and for aid to enter, called for an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.”
The unprecedented Israeli bombardment of Gaza began on October 7, when the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in the occupied territories in response to the regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians.
The death toll from Israel’s genocidal attacks has reached at least 9,572 people. More than 26,000 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, have been wounded as well.
The regime has also cut off one of the most densely populated places in the world from basic supplies, such as water, electricity, and fuel. Shortage of medical supplies and food have left 2.3 million Palestinians at risk of starvation.
