Blinken Meets with Palestinian President

Following his brief visit to Israel on 13 October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President, in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

According to Bloomberg, his is reportedly the first face-to-face meeting between a US official and the Palestinian Authority's leader since the Hamas attack on Israel started on 7 October.

The Palestinian Authority partially controls the West Bank but is a fierce political opponent of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Abbas, 87, has been the leader of the Palestinian Authority for the past 18 years. His initial four-year term was extended due to the inability to hold elections there.

On Thursday, 12 October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv and assured the Israeli PM of Washington's support.

Blinken said the US would continue to work to ensure that no new players join the fight against Israel.

On 13 October, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel to meet with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.