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Blinken Promises Abbas that Demands Will Be Discussed during Biden’s Regional Tour

Abbas meets with Blinken in Ramallah in March 2022 (Wafa news agency)
Abbas meets with Blinken in Ramallah in March 2022 (Wafa news agency)
    Ramallah - Washington - Kifah Zboun and Ali Barada
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Blinken Promises Abbas that Demands Will Be Discussed during Biden’s Regional Tour

Abbas meets with Blinken in Ramallah in March 2022 (Wafa news agency)
Abbas meets with Blinken in Ramallah in March 2022 (Wafa news agency)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to refrain from taking decisions and measures against Israel, pending the arrival of US President Joe Biden to the region.

Blinken called Abbas amid a state of frustration in Ramallah, as the latter had begun consultations with his advisers and members of the political leadership, in order to activate the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council, which include - among others - severing relations with Israel and freezing its recognition.

The US State Secretary wanted to contain the Palestinian anger, after Abbas told him that he could no longer tolerate the current situation, complaining about the absence of international protection for the Palestinian people, and Israel’s denial of its obligations under signed agreements and resolutions of international legitimacy.

Abbas told Blinken that the Palestinian leadership was in the process of taking measures to confront the Israeli escalation, “in light of the international community’s inability to compel Israel to comply with international legitimacy resolutions, and stop its criminal and occupying practices and its ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination measures, amid an American silence.”

Among other requests, Abbas raised the issue of removing the PLO from the US terrorism list, and reopening the US consulate in East Jerusalem, as well as the PLO office in Washington, as a full and committed partner in the peace process.

Blinken responded by emphasizing the commitment of Biden’s administration to a two-state solution, ending settlement expansion, preserving the status quo, stopping the expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem neighborhoods, and putting an end to unilateral actions on both sides.

He also tried to reassure Abbas of the administration’s commitment to reopening the US consulate in Jerusalem.

The US official told Abbas that the administration would send a high-level delegation to prepare for Biden’s visit, and promised him to discuss all of his requests. He also stressed the US determination to improve the situation for the Palestinians.

Moreover, Blinken underlined “the US administration’s keenness to investigate the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and to prosecute and hold the killers accountable.”

Blinken’s reassurances came following a meeting held by Abbas with his advisers and officials, to discuss decisions to pressure Israel, the United States and other international parties, to launch a political process, in light of the escalation of the Israeli attack on the Palestinians.

Earlier this week, State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that the United States was committed to opening its consulate in Jerusalem.

“We continue to believe it can be an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to the Palestinian people,” Price told reporters during a briefing.

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How Did Iraq Survive ‘Existential Threat More Dangerous than ISIS’?

Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
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How Did Iraq Survive ‘Existential Threat More Dangerous than ISIS’?

Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 
Iraqi sheikhs participate in a solidarity demonstration with Iran on a road leading to the Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad (AP). 

Diplomatic sources in Baghdad revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraqi authorities were deeply concerned about sliding into the Israeli-Iranian war, which they considered “an existential threat to Iraq even more dangerous than that posed by ISIS when it overran a third of the country’s territory.”

The sources explained that “ISIS was a foreign body that inevitably had to be expelled by the Iraqi entity, especially given the international and regional support Baghdad enjoyed in confronting it... but the war (with Israel) threatened Iraq’s unity.”

They described this “existential threat” as follows:

-When the war broke out, Baghdad received messages from Israel, conveyed via Azerbaijan and other channels, stating that Israel would carry out “harsh and painful” strikes in response to any attacks launched against it from Iraqi territory. The messages held the Iraqi authorities responsible for any such attacks originating from their soil.

-Washington shifted from the language of prior advice to direct warnings, highlighting the grave consequences that could result from any attacks carried out by Iran-aligned factions.

-Iraqi authorities feared what they described as a “disaster scenario”: that Iraqi factions would launch attacks on Israel, prompting Israel to retaliate with a wave of assassinations similar to those it conducted against Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon or Iranian generals and scientists at the start of the war.

-The sources noted that delivering painful blows to these factions would inevitably inflame the Shiite street, potentially pushing the religious authority to take a strong stance. At that point, the crisis could take on the character of a Shiite confrontation with Israel.

-This scenario raised fears that other Iraqi components would then blame the Shiite component for dragging Iraq into a war that could have been avoided. In such circumstances, the divergence in choices between the Shiite and Sunni communities could resurface, reviving the threat to Iraq’s unity.

-Another risk was the possibility that the Kurds would declare that the Iraqi government was acting as if it only represented one component, and that the country was exhausted by wars, prompting the Kurdish region to prefer distancing itself from Baghdad to avoid being drawn into unwanted conflicts.

-Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s government acted with a mix of firmness and prudence. It informed the factions it would not tolerate any attempt to drag the country into a conflict threatening its unity, while on the other hand keeping its channels open with regional and international powers, especially the US.

-Iraqi authorities also benefited from the position of Iranian authorities, who did not encourage the factions to engage in the war but instead urged them to remain calm. Some observers believed that Iran did not want to risk its relations with Iraq after losing Syria.

-Another significant factor was the factions’ realization that the war exceeded their capabilities, especially in light of what Hezbollah faced in Lebanon and the Israeli penetrations inside Iran itself, which demonstrated that Israel possessed precise intelligence on hostile organizations and was able to reach its targets thanks to its technological superiority and these infiltrations.

-The sources indicated that despite all the pressure and efforts, “rogue groups” tried to prepare three attacks, but the authorities succeeded in thwarting them before they were carried out.

The sources estimated that Iran suffered a deep wound because Israel moved the battle onto Iranian soil and encouraged the US to target its nuclear facilities. They did not rule out another round of fighting “if Iran does not make the necessary concessions on the nuclear issue.”