Blinken calls on Israelis and Palestinians to reduce tension in the West Bank

Nov. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israelis and Palestinians on Saturday to reduce tension in the West Bank “urgently”.

“Good conversation yesterday with President (Mahmud) Abbas. I reiterated our commitment to a two-state solution and underlined the need for all parties to reduce tension in the West Bank,” Blinken posted on Twitter.

Abbas spoke to Blinken on Friday, calling on him to “force” Israel to stop attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank such as “blockades, extrajudicial executions, house demolitions and settlement construction,” according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Blinken’s mention of the two-state solution is not gratuitous, as after the November 1 elections Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to lead the most right-leaning coalition government in Israel’s history.

This Saturday Netanyahu has sent invitations to the leaders of the parties that he intends to include in his coalition to hold individual meetings on Monday in Jerusalem, according to the Israeli press, citing sources from Netanyahu’s party, Likud.

Among them is Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, Jewish Force, although no official negotiations are expected. The parties related to Netanyahu won 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset or Israeli Parliament.