Commitment to delivering humanitarian aid and essential services in Gaza. He also emphasized the need to stop extremist violence against Palestinians and hold those accountable responsible, particularly in reference to violence committed by Israeli settlers.

The meeting between Blinken and Abbas took place in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. Blinken arrived in an armored motorcade and under tight security, just hours after Israeli warplanes struck a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of at least 40 people and injuring dozens. Although the State Department did not confirm the trip until after Blinken had left the West Bank, protests broke out against his visit and U.S. support for Israel.

Despite the secrecy surrounding the visit, the meeting between Blinken and Abbas was not entirely fruitful. Aside from exchanging pleasantries, neither man spoke in front of the cameras, and the meeting ended without any public comment. It remains unclear whether the lack of words indicates a negative outcome of the meeting.

During the meeting, Blinken and Abbas discussed efforts to restore calm and stability in the West Bank, with a focus on the need to stop extremist violence against Palestinians. Blinken also emphasized the U.S. commitment to delivering humanitarian aid and resuming essential services in Gaza. Furthermore, he made it clear that Palestinians must not be forcibly displaced.

This meeting with Abbas marked the start of Blinken's third day of his intense Middle East tour, which aimed to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Prior to meeting with Abbas, Blinken visited Israel and held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In these meetings, Blinken stressed U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself, while also emphasizing the importance of adhering to the laws of war, protecting civilians, and increasing humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza.

Throughout his tour, Blinken called for rolling humanitarian pauses in Israel's airstrikes and ground operations to allow for the delivery of aid and the safe evacuation of foreign nationals from Gaza. However, Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected this suggestion.

The soaring death toll and growing international anger led to widespread demands for an immediate cease-fire. Tens of thousands of people from Washington to Berlin took to the streets to voice their concerns. Even the Arab foreign ministers that Blinken met with in Amman, including representatives from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, called for an immediate cease-fire. However, Blinken stated that the U.S. would not push for a cease-fire as it believed it would leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat their actions.

Arab states resist taking a larger role in resolving the crisis, expressing outrage at the civilian toll of the Israeli military operations but ultimately viewing Gaza as a problem largely caused by Israel. U.S. officials believe that Arab backing, even if modest, will be crucial in efforts to improve conditions in Gaza and establish a new governing authority to replace Hamas if Israel succeeds in eradicating the group. However, ideas for Gaza's future governance have been met with little enthusiasm.

Following the meeting with Abbas, Blinken made an unannounced visit to Cyprus, where he was greeted by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. They were invited back onto the plane for a meeting, the details of which were not disclosed.

Overall, Blinken's visit to the occupied West Bank aimed to address civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip and begin discussions about a post-conflict scenario for the territory. However, the meeting with Abbas did not yield any significant public results, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate.