U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has stated that continued Houthi attacks represent a “clear threat” to the nations of the world.
He pledged to continue to work to thwart them.
This came as he visited Bahrain as part of his Middle East tour.
Speaking from Bahrain, Blinken decried the “hundreds of attacks” the Yemeni group has carried out on commercial ships in the Red Sea, saying that the biggest one came on Tuesday, December 9, 2024.
He said that the attacks are “having a real-life impact on people” in the form of a rise in the price of consumer goods due to the effect they have had disrupting shipping.
Also, Blinken disclosed that during meetings in Bahrain, he discussed the role that regional powers will play in post-conflict Gaza.
He spoke of “Efforts that countries around the region are clearly prepared to make … to bring countries together to integrate the region”, adding that this would happen in a way that “provides for the security of Israel and also provides a pathway to Palestinians for a state of their own”.
Blinken said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas agreed “to move forward and engage in some of these efforts” in a meeting earlier today, and that he is prepared to “reform” the PA so it can take control of a united Gaza and occupied West Bank.
Earlier today, Wednesday, December 10, 2024, Blinken met with Abbas in Ramallah.
A statement issued by the US State Department gave information on the meeting.
“Secretary Blinken discussed ongoing efforts to minimize civilian harm in Gaza and accelerate and increase the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians throughout Gaza,” the statement quoted Spokesperson Matthew Miller as saying.
Blinken also “noted increased volatility” in the occupied West Bank and discussed US efforts to address “extremist violence”.
“He also underscored the United States’ position that all Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel should be consistently conveyed to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with prior agreements,” Miller said, adding that the U.S “supports tangible steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, with both living in peace and security”.
During the meeting, Abbas discussed the efforts made to stop the Israeli war on Gaza and the importance of accelerating the entry of aid into the bombarded territory.
For its part, Hamas denounced Blinken’s visit to the region saying the US official’s “attempts to justify the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian civilians … are miserable attempts to wash the hands of the criminal occupation of the blood of children, women and the elderly of Gaza.”
WHO chief calls on Israel to provide access for humanitarian aid in Gaza
In a press conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said there are nearly “insurmountable obstacles” to delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying the situation was “indescribable.”
He said that six planned missions to northern Gaza had been cancelled because Israel had rejected requests and not given assurances of safe passage, adding that a mission planned for today had also had to be cancelled.
He said, “Intense bombardment, restrictions on movement, a fuel shortage and interrupted communications make it impossible for WHO and our partners to reach those in need.”
“We have the supplies, the teams and the plans in place. What we don’t have is access,” he added.
He stressed that the barrier to delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza is not the capabilities of the UN, WHO, or their partners but rather, “the barrier is access.”
