{"id":62000,"date":"2024-01-08T13:55:48","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T21:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=62000"},"modified":"2024-01-08T13:55:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T21:55:48","slug":"secretary-antony-j-blinken-remarks-to-the-press-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=62000","title":{"rendered":"Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Remarks to the Press<\/p>\n

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January 8, 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SECRETARY BLINKEN:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Well, good evening, everyone.\u00a0 We\u2019ve just finished our third day of a trip that thus far has taken us from T\u00fcrkiye to Greece to Jordan to Qatar to the United Arab Emirates to here in Saudi Arabia.\u00a0 Everywhere I went, I found leaders who are determined to prevent the conflict that we\u2019re facing now from spreading, doing everything possible to deter escalation, to prevent a widening of the conflict.\u00a0 We also talked about the future for this region, and I think there\u2019s broad agreement on a few basic objectives: first, that Israel and Israelis should be able to live in peace and security, free from the fear of terrorist attacks or aggression from any of their neighbors; second, that the West Bank and Gaza should be united under Palestinian-led governance; third, the future of the region needs to be one of integration, not division and not conflict; and fourth, for that to happen, we need to see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now, no one I talked to thinks any of this will be easy.\u00a0 All recognize the hurdles, and no one thinks that anything will happen overnight.\u00a0 But we agreed to work together and to coordinate our efforts to help Gaza stabilize and recover, to chart a political path forward for the Palestinians, and to work toward long-term peace, security, and stability in the region as a whole.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I also found across the board that the countries we visited, the leaders we spend time with, are prepared to make the necessary commitments, to make the hard decisions to advance all of these objectives, to advance this vision for the region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We\u2019re heading now to Israel, where I\u2019ll have an opportunity to share with Israeli leaders everything I\u2019ve heard thus far on this trip, and also to talk to them about the future direction of their military campaign in Gaza.\u00a0 I will press on the absolute imperative to do more to protect civilians and to do more to make sure that humanitarian assistance is getting into the hands of those who need it.\u00a0 We\u2019ll also, of course, focus on our relentless efforts to bring back the hostages \u2013 Americans, Israelis, and others.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll talk about how we see the future for the region and for Israel.\u00a0 And I\u2019m convinced that there is a future path that can actually bring lasting peace and security for Israel, that can assure that October 7th never happens again, and that can bring the region together, that can meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people, and do it in a way that makes this a region focused on the future, not on the challenges of the past.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With that, I\u2019m happy to take a couple questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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MR MILLER:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Iain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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QUESTION:<\/strong>\u00a0 Secretary, your trip is partly about trying to prevent a wider war, but Israel has now killed two Hizballah leaders within a week.\u00a0 What does that say about U.S. leverage over Israel, and doesn\u2019t that risk a second front?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And secondly, Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani yesterday said military strikes against the Houthis were not the best option and that he preferred diplomacy since the military strikes would raise regional tensions.\u00a0 What message are you giving to Arab partners in the region about U.S. and coalition efforts and intentions towards potential military strikes in Yemen?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SECRETARY BLINKEN:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well first, Iain, with regard to Lebanon, it\u2019s clearly not in the interest of anyone \u2013 Israel, Lebanon, Hizballah for that matter \u2013 to see this escalate and to see an actual conflict.\u00a0 And the Israelis have been very clear with us that they want to find a diplomatic way forward, a diplomatic way forward that creates the kind of security that allows Israelis to return home \u2013 nearly 100,000 Israelis have been forced to leave their homes in northern Israel because of the threat coming from Hizballah and Lebanon \u2013 but also allows Lebanese to return to their homes in southern Lebanon.\u00a0 And we\u2019re working intensely on that effort, and doing so diplomatically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Second, with regard to the Red Sea, the international community as a whole faces a challenge.\u00a0 These attacks, consistent attacks by the Houthis on international shipping, are a threat to everyone.\u00a0 We talked about this yesterday.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got about 15 percent of the world\u2019s commerce every day going through that strait, going through the Red Sea.\u00a0 And these attacks are having a real effect on the prices that people have to pay for food, for medicine, for energy.\u00a0 Ships have to get diverted to other places, insurance rates go up, and the basic principle of freedom of navigation is what\u2019s at stake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So the international community has a real stake in upholding that principle.\u00a0 As I said, we\u2019ve had 40 countries come together to make clear that what the Houthis are doing has to stop.\u00a0 And we have other countries that have made clear that if it continues, there have to be consequences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So our strong view, our strong preference, is that the Houthis get the message that they\u2019re receiving from countries around the world that this needs to stop.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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QUESTION:<\/strong>\u00a0 Hi, Secretary Blinken.\u00a0 Thanks.\u00a0 Before the October 7th attacks, you and other aides to President Biden were trying to pursue the idea of Saudi-Israel normalization, and that\u2019s become \u2013 it seems that\u2019s become much more difficult in light of the attacks, given the animus on different sides now.\u00a0 But you still want to pursue that, because it might be one way for \u2013 to get Israel to recognize the aspirations of the Palestinians.\u00a0 What did the crown \u2013 what did Crown Prince Mohammed tell you today about the prospects for normalization?\u00a0 What\u2019s \u2013 what conditions would he \u2013 is he looking for to reach normalization?\u00a0 And what do you think the U.S. and Israel have to put forward to reach that, to reach an agreement?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Secondly, what did Crown Prince Mohammed and MBZ today tell you about what they\u2019re willing to do in a post-war state in Gaza?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SECRETARY BLINKEN:<\/strong>\u00a0 So the second part of the question first.\u00a0 What I\u2019ve found on virtually every stop was a willingness of all of the countries involved to do important things to help Gaza stabilize and revitalize.\u00a0 And I heard that in every place.\u00a0 And one of the things that we\u2019re going to be working on together is just what that would require, and just what countries specifically are prepared to do.\u00a0 But that was a pretty constant theme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With regard to integration, to normalization, yes, we talked about that actually on every stop, including of course here in Saudi Arabia.\u00a0 And I can tell you this:\u00a0 There\u2019s a clear interest here in pursuing that; there\u2019s a clear interest in the region in pursuing that.\u00a0 But it will require that the conflict end in Gaza, and it will also clearly require that there be a practical pathway to a Palestinian state.\u00a0 This is what I heard from everyone we talked to about it.\u00a0 But this interest is there, it\u2019s real, and it could be transformative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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