Anthony Blinken

Blinken: Palestinian state recognition 'a rebuke to Hamas,' but hostages, ending war take priority

Recognition of a Palestinian state is necessary, not only if Israel wishes to resume normalization with Saudi Arabia. But, Blinken pointed out, recognition must be based on predetermined conditions.

 US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sits alongside him, last month.
 AN ISRAELI TANK maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, this week. If Israel stopped the war today, Hamas would likely recruit more terrorists and replenish its arms, says the writer.

Israel-Hamas war day 328: What's happening in Israel, Gaza?

 Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an underground terror tunnel in Gaza (illustrative)

Pressure mounts on Hamas as US proposes final hostage deal of Cairo talks

 Tanks from the 401st Brigade enter eastern Rafah, May 8 2024

Israel-Hamas War Day 220: What is happening in Gaza?


Israel reduces number of hostages to be released in Hamas deal to 33 - report

Israel initially sought to release 40 hostages, including women, children, the seriously ill, and female soldiers.

 A woman stands next to posters with photos of hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 20, 2024.

The US is mulling over sanctions against Ultra-Orthodox army unit, says expert

Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion for potential human rights abuses in the West Bank, setting a precedent that other countries may follow.

  Prof. Yuval Shany, the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair of Public International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Blinken: US not involved in Iranian strike, seeks de-escalation

The US and Western powers have urged Israel to constrain its response, but Israel has insisted that it must strike back because such a missile attack can not be normalized.

 US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference in Tel Aviv, last week.

Safety plans for civilians in Israel's planned Rafah op. not shared with the US, Blinken claims

Blinken reiterated the US is committed to ensuring that Hamas does not play a future role in running the Gaza Strip.

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks to a senior staff on a C-17 Globemaster as he departs Jeddah for Cairo, Egypt, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia March 21, 2024.

Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 194?

IDF destroys launchers in Gaza • Rocket directly hits building in north • US shoots down Houthi UAVs •IDF destroys Hezbollah launchers in Lebanon

 IDF troops evacuate wounded personnel in the North. April17, 2024.

Gallant to oppose Netanyahu's bill to exempt ultra-Orthodox from IDF service

Netanyahu has been rumored to be ready to extend the Haredi exemption from IDF and national service in practice while trying to make some symbolic gesture toward greater service.

 An Israeli soldier prays next to an ultra orthodox Jewish man at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem

'Anything short of total release is not enough,' American hostage families tell Blinken

The families reiterated that anything short of a total release of all hostages – both the living and deceased – is not enough, according to a statement from the group representing the families. 

 US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken takes part in a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference  on Saturday. One may legitimately ask whether these people really understand what they are talking about, the writer argues.

Holocaust property restoration: Not enough progress made, report finds

Blinken's address noted the countless works of art and cultural property stolen by Nazis which still have not been returned to their owners. 

Tourists stand near a disputed Wassily Kandinsky painting at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, July 10, 2019.

Blinken, Kirby 'disappointed' in Israel's approval for thousands of new West Bank homes

Israel intends to advance plans for 3,000 new settler homes in the aftermath of the West Bank terror attack next to a checkpoint heading into Jerusalem.

 US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference in Tel Aviv, last week.

White House: Gaza hostage deal hinges now on Hamas, ball is in their court

Such a deal “is in the national security interest of the United States. And we're going to press for it relentlessly," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

 A Hamas terrorist stands in front of a picture of the group's top leader Ismail Haniyeh during his visit at Ain el Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, Lebanon September 6, 2020

One way to square the two-state circle - opinion

The idea of a three-state confederation covering the whole of what was originally Mandate Palestine might open a hitherto unexplored path leading away from unending Israel-Palestinian discord.

 US PRESIDENT Joe Biden delivers remarks at a dinner in South Carolina on Saturday. The writer wonders what Biden could have meant when he recently made a quiet throwaway remark: ‘There are a number of types of two-state solutions.’