“Can and must do both”: US wants to help civilians in Gaza and support Israel

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Cutting aid to the more than two million Palestinians there, as some members of the US Congress have demanded, would be a serious mistake, Blinken wrote in the post published on Wednesday. This could undermine Israel’s security and threaten stability in the region.

Furthermore, addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also consistent with the U.S.’s deepest principles, according to which every civilian life is equally valuable and deserves equal protection – regardless of nationality, creed, gender or age. “A citizen is and remains a citizen,” Blinken literally said.

The people of the Gaza Strip also had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7 and the more than 1,400 deaths on Israeli soil. They cannot be held responsible for this, but are victims and must be protected. Therefore, water, medicine, fuel and other humanitarian aid needed for survival must be significantly increased and reach Gaza immediately, Blinken said. However, the US cannot take on this alone; they have already brought together more than thirty countries to achieve this goal.

At the same time, the US Secretary of State made it clear that the US does not have to choose between defending Israel and supporting Palestinian citizens. “We can and must do both,” Blinken wrote.

“Only in this way can we stand firmly with one of our closest allies, protect innocent lives, comply with international rules, (…) and provide the only viable path to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians keep: two states for two people.”

(SDA)

Source: Blick