Blinken insists on ‘humanitarian pause’, rejects ceasefire in Gaza in meeting Arab foreign ministers

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended an Arab foreign ministers’ meeting in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday (November 4) to discuss the Gaza crisis. The summit, convened by the Jordanian Foreign Minister was attended by the top diplomats from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Sharp divides persisted between the United States and its Arab partners on their response to Israel’s war against Hamas. At a press conference after the summit, Jordan and Egypt’s foreign ministers, standing alongside Blinken, repeatedly pushed for a cessation of hostilities, saying the death of thousands of civilians could not be justified as self-defence. But Blinken said such a halt right now would only allow Palestinian militant group Hamas to regroup and attack Israel again. In another direct contrast, Arab officials said it was far too soon to discuss one of Blinken’s main agenda items, Gaza’s postwar future. Earlier, Blinken held talks with the head of the U.N. agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees, thanking Phillipe Lazzarini for his group’s “extraordinary work every single day as a lifeline to Palestinians in Gaza and a great, a great cost.” On Sunday, Blinken will travel to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyep Erdogan and other top officials on Monday, the State Department said. Editor: Zou __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!