The United States secretary of state Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission on Tuesday that Washington would provide new aid to help rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a ceasefire between its Islamist Hamas rulers and Israel.
Hoping to reverse a move taken by former President Donald Trump that angered Palestinians, Blinken said the United States would advance the process of reopening its Jerusalem consulate that had served as its diplomatic channel to the Palestinians.
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Speaking alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Blinken said the United States would provide an additional $75 million in development and economic aid to the Palestinians in 2021, $5.5 million in immediate disaster relief for Gaza and $32 million to the U.N. Palestinian aid agency based there.
“We know that to prevent a return to violence we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges,” he said. “And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild.”
Isreal Threatens “Very Powerful Response” If Hamas Breaks Ceasefire
Netanyahu appreciated the US for “firmly supporting Israel’s right of self-defence” during the escalation.
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He, however, promised a “very powerful response” if Hamas breaks the ceasefire that ended the deadly 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s Prime Minister warned, “We, too, will give meaning to our commitment to our self-defence: if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful.”
Netanyahu disclosed that Israel had discussed replenishing the Iron Dome missile defence system that protects the Nation from Palestinian rocket fire, and ways to prevent Hamas rearming.
The Isreali-Palestinians conflicts came after weeks of tension in East Jerusalem which ended in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews and led to Hamas firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site.
This triggered retaliatory airstrikes, which killed more than 250 people, the vast majority of them in Gaza.
Control TV reported that both nations agreed to a ceasefire on Friday after 11 days of fierce fighting.
©ControlTV2021.
