US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Arab leaders on Sunday that Washington opposes the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the occupied West Bank, as he looked to kickstart talks on Gaza's post-war future.
Jordan's King Abdullah had raised his country's concerns over displacement with Blinken during their meeting in Amman, according to a palace statement, as Israel pushes on with its military campaign that has turned much of Gaza to rubble and left its 2.3 million residents on the verge of starvation, according to aid workers.
"Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They cannot, they must not, be pressed to leave Gaza," Blinken said at a press conference following a separate meeting with top Qatari officials in Doha.
Most of Gaza's residents have been displaced by the conflict, and violence has also flared in the West Bank, including a deadly clash in the city of Jenin on Sunday.
King Abdullah told Blinken that Washington had a major role to play in pressuring Israel into an immediate ceasefire, and warned of the "catastrophic repercussions" of the continuation of the war in Gaza.
Blinken is touring the region amid heightened fears that Israel's offensive against Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza will spark a broader regional conflagration.
"This is a moment of profound tension for the region. This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and suffering," he told reporters in Doha.
The trip comes after a drone strike in Beirut killed a senior Hamas leader and Israel exchanged fire with Hezbollah across its northern border with Lebanon. Washington is also rallying allies to deter attacks on Red Sea shipping by Houthi militants who control most of Yemen.
"Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They cannot, they must not, be pressed to leave Gaza," Blinken said at a press conference following a separate meeting with top Qatari officials in Doha.
