Blinken gave 'Israel' renewed mandate to continue war on Gaza: PFLP

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen + Agencies
20 Aug 2024 13:44
4 Shares

The PFLP says the direct outcome of Blinken’s visit to the region has been "an escalation in the massacres across Gaza and an increased pace of the genocidal war."

Listen

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gestures as he departs for Egypt, in Tel Aviv, August 20, 2024. (AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has granted the Israeli occupation government a "renewed mandate" to continue its aggression and genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, stressed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Tuesday.

After meeting with Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken landed Tuesday in Egypt for meetings regarding completing a Gaza ceasefire deal. He will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at his summer palace in the city of El Alamein.

The top US diplomat will then head to meet with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Doha, where ceasefire talks took place last week.

In a statement, the PFLP stressed that the Israeli military has acted on this mandate by intensifying massacres and forced displacement in the region, with the most recent example being the siege of tens of thousands of displaced people in western Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, using tanks and heavy shelling.

According to the PFLP, the direct outcome of Blinken’s visit to the region has been "an escalation in the massacres across Gaza and an increased pace of the genocidal war," all under the unwavering support provided by the US administration to the Israeli occupation.

The Front emphasized that the US is leading the war on Gaza and is mobilizing its fleets in the region to continue this genocide and aggression against the people of the region.

The PFLP highlighted that the United States "has decided to annihilate the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip to ensure the occupation’s control over the entire region, without facing any international or Arab opposition."

The statement pointed out that this genocidal war has exposed "the extent of the subservience chosen by certain Arab governments and elites as their path."

Given this situation, the PFLP stressed that "the only solution to this brutal colonial assault is resistance across the region."

Regarding ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal, the PFLP pointed out that the United States is not a "mediator" but rather "leads the war and is involved in its strategic and operational planning" alongside the Israeli occupation.

The Front called on the people of the region to "greet the criminal Blinken’s visit with anger and uprisings against the US-Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people."

"Our people, with their own resources, cannot stop the genocide on their own," the statement mentioned, adding, "They are in urgent need of support from all their allies and friends to confront this genocidal coalition."

"However, they are capable of finding and activating tools to ensure that the occupier and all those complicit in the genocide against our people pay heavy prices," the PFLP concluded.

At the Doha negotiations, the United States claimed it presented proposals to bridge the gaps between "Israel" and Hamas and seal the May 31 ceasefire plan laid out by President Joe Biden.

Blinken claimed Monday that "Israel" has accepted the US proposal, which he said could be the "last chance" for a ceasefire deal.

But Hamas has accused Netanyahu of placing further obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement, setting new conditions and demands aimed at thwarting the mediators' efforts and prolonging the war.

Hamas detailed in a statement on Sunday how the new proposal aligns with Netanyahu's conditions, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim axis, the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphia corridor.

The movement indicated that the Israeli premier set new conditions for the prisoner exchange and backed down on other commitments, which prevented the completion of the exchange deal.

It held Netanyahu "fully responsible for the failure of the mediators' efforts, the obstruction of reaching an agreement, and full responsibility for the lives of his captives, who are exposed to the same danger as our people due to his continued aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip."

Palestinian source reveals to Al Mayadeen terms of new proposal

A Palestinian source involved in the negotiations revealed to Al Mayadeen details of the new US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange, emphasizing that it “completely contradicts the agreement that both parties had previously accepted.”

According to the source, the new American proposal "builds on the May framework but has been adjusted to accommodate and align with the latest Israeli conditions and demands."

The source further explained to Al Mayadeen that the US proposal "does not call for a permanent ceasefire." Instead, the ceasefire is being discussed as part of a second phase with a clearly defined time limit.

The US proposal emphasizes that "unless Hamas agrees to the Israeli demands, the occupation will resume military operations in the second phase," the Palestinian source added.

He also stressed that the proposal "does not include a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," but rather "includes the ongoing occupation of the Philadelphi Axis while reducing the presence of the Israeli army."

The American proposal "also includes the continued occupation of the Netzarim Junction, and monitoring and controlling the movement of people," the source noted.

In addition, it "affirms Israel's right to refuse the release of at least 100 Palestinian prisoners and guarantees the deportation of a significant number of those released in the exchange deal outside of Palestine."

Moreover, the US proposal "gives the occupation the authority to veto 65 names out of 300 names of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment submitted by Hamas."

Elsewhere, the Palestinian source told Al Mayadeen that the proposal specifies that aid and relief to Gaza will only be provided when Hamas approves of all the deal's terms. It also delays any discussions on reconstruction and lifting the siege until after the outcomes of the first phase are determined.