Middle East
Blinken Adds Stops in West Bank, Iraq in Diplomatic Push on Gaza
- Abbas says Palestinian Authority may take on role in Gaza
- Blinken visits Ramallah after meetings in Tel Aviv, Amman
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken made unannounced stops in the West Bank and Iraq in a fresh shuttle diplomacy bid through the Middle East meant to increase the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip and keep the Israel-Hamas conflict from igniting a wider war.
Blinken’s talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and a visit with Iraq’s prime minister in Baghdad — kept secret until he was on the way out because of security concerns — were overshadowed by a stepped-up Israeli military campaign in Gaza, attacks that have led Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon to increase rocket attacks of their own.