Displaced Palestinians should be allowed to return home, says Blinken

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, says displaced Palestinians must be able to return home.

Blinken was in Jordan and Qatar on Sunday at the start of a five-day diplomatic effort in the Middle East, seeking to avert a wider war in the region.

He is set to visit Israel on Monday for difficult talks on the war in Gaza and also due to visit the West Bank and Egypt this week.

Speaking during a news conference in Doha before heading to Abu Dhabi, Blinken said it is a moment of profound tension for the region.

“This is a conflict that could easily metastasise, causing even more insecurity and suffering,” he said.

Blinken said displaced Palestinians must be able to “return home as soon as conditions allow” and “must not be pressed to leave Gaza”.

His comments followed reports that up to 70 people were killed at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

On Sunday, Blinken and Qatari officials discussed efforts to free hostages still believed to be held by Hamas, after an earlier agreement mediated by Qatar broke down.

On his trip, Blinken also aims to press hesitant Muslim nations in the Middle East to prepare to play a role in the reconstruction, governance and security of Gaza if and when Israel manages to eliminate Hamas.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah urged Blinken to use Washington’s influence over Israel to press for an immediate ceasefire, and warned of the “catastrophic repercussions” of Israel’s continued military campaign.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, vowed to continue fighting.

“The war must not be stopped until we achieve all the goals: the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” he said.

“I say this to both our enemies and our friends.”

Amid global concerns over the death and destruction in Gaza and widespread calls for a ceasefire, Israeli public opinion remains firmly behind the operation aimed at wiping out the Hamas group that rules Gaza — although support for Netanyahu has fallen sharply.

The fighting has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, with many homes and civilian infrastructure left in ruins, amid acute shortages of food, water and medicine.