US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called on Israel to ensure “equal” treatment of Palestinians, while the new US government is cautiously stepping up efforts towards a two-state solution.
In a phone call with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Blinken “emphasized the government’s belief that Israelis and Palestinians should enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and democracy,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Blinken also pledged to Israel’s security, “strengthening all aspects of the US-Israel partnership” and expressed support for the Jewish state’s agreements last year to normalize relations with four more Arab nations.
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The appeal came amid another period of political uncertainty in Israel, after last week’s inconclusive election, Israel’s fourth in two years.
U.S. President Joe Biden, while emphasizing his support for Israel, has also signaled that he will retreat from the unyielding support of the right Netanyahu by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The government has stepped up humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and, in recent days, has made it clear that it believes Israel’s control over the West Bank is an “occupation”.
“We believe that when it comes to settlement activities, Israel should refrain from unilateral measures that exacerbate tensions and that undermine efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution,” Price said on Thursday.
Blinken’s predecessor, Mike Pompeo, broke the precedent by saying that he did not consider Israeli construction on land confiscated in 1967 to be illegal and that he visited a settlement in the West Bank last year.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, on the left, speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after a security meeting at Mount Bental in the Golan Heights, near the Israeli-Syrian border, 19 November 2020. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, Pool)
Still, Blinken made it clear that the government will not reverse some of Trump’s landmark moves, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Blinken’s call to Ashkenazi came on the same day that the U.S. lifted the sanctions on senior officials at the International Criminal Court that were imposed during the Trump administration.
Blinken said that the economic sanctions imposed on the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and a senior adviser in 2019 “were inadequate and ineffective” and therefore have been lifted.
The Hague court is investigating alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by Afghan forces, the Taliban and the US military. It also recently opened an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US allies, Israel, and Palestinian terrorist groups. Neither the US nor Israel are members of the ICC.
Blinken informed Ashkenazi of the change before it was announced by the State Department.
Last month, the government said it was “firmly” opposed to the ICC’s decision to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The Times of Israel team contributed to this report.
