United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Wednesday that to achieve “sustainable peace” in Gaza, Israel “cannot reoccupy the Strip”, displace its citizens or reduce its territory.
“The only way to achieve sustainable peace is through the non-displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, the non-reoccupation of the Strip, the blockade or the reduction of the territory,” said Blinken at a press conference on the occasion of his visit to Tokyo to participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of 7 (G7).
Blinken’s statements came after the G7 foreign ministers called this Wednesday for a humanitarian pause in Gaza to facilitate the creation of a safe corridor that allows the immediate entry of aid and asked to do everything possible to avoid an escalation and expansion of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, which it seized in the 1967 Six-Day War and later occupied. It later imposed a blockade after Hamas won elections in 2006.
But on Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC News that Israel would assume “overall security” in Gaza “for an indefinite period” after it ends its operations, which are now entering their second month.
(Also read: One month of the war between Israel and Hamas, which already leaves 11,000 dead: what comes next?)
The statements caused immediate rejection and the same The United States said Tuesday that it opposes a new long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel.
“In our view, the Palestinians should be at the forefront of these decisions, Gaza is Palestinian territory and will remain Palestinian territory,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
(Also: ‘There will be no ceasefire or fuel in Gaza without the release of hostages’: Netanyahu)
“In general terms, “We do not support a reoccupation of Gaza and neither does Israel,” he claimed.
President Joe Biden “maintains his position that a reoccupation of Israeli forces is not appropriate,” said White House spokesman John Kirby.
This Wednesday, Blinken reiterated the message and stated: “We have been very clear from day 1: Gaza cannot be governed by Hamas, Israel cannot occupy Gaza and Palestinians cannot be displaced“, said.
But after the controversy, this Wednesday Ron Dermer, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “did not talk about occupying Gaza” after the war with Hamas.
“We have completely withdrawn from Gaza for 17 years and they returned us a terrorist state. It is obvious that we cannot repeat that,” said Dermer, who participates as an observer in the Israeli war cabinet.
“When Hamas is no longer in power, Israel must have general security responsibility for an indefinite period,” he explained in the same vein as what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed the day before.
(You can read: Concern grows over possible genocide in the Gaza Strip)
Gaza cannot be governed by Hamas and Israel cannot occupy Gaza
But asked about how he will exercise this responsibility, Dermer said the issue is still open, but assured that “it will not be an occupation.”
The current conflict broke out in intensity after Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including young people participating in an electronic music festival.
Israel then launched a series of incessant bombings and ground incursions into the Gaza Strip in retaliation. According to the Ministry of Health of the Hamas-ruled territory, 10,300 people have died, including more than 4,000 children.
AFP and EFE
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