Blinken meets Palestinian president in West Bank

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday to seek governance reforms as part of US efforts to rally the region behind postwar plans for Gaza that also include concrete steps toward a Palestinian stateBlinken says he has secured commitments from multiple countries in the region to assist with rebuilding and governing Gaza after the war and that wider IsraeliArab normalisation is still possible but only if there is ldquoa pathway to a Palestinian staterdquoThe approach faces serious obstacles Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahursquos government is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and the autocratic Westernbacked Palestinian leadership whose forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas took over in 2007 lacks legitimacy in the view of many PalestiniansThe is still no end in sight to the war fuelling a humanitarian catastrophe in the tiny enclave The fighting has also stoked escalating violence between Israel and Lebanonrsquos Hezbollah militants that has raised fears of a wider conflictHouthis launch massive Red Sea attacksYemenrsquos Houthi rebels fired one of their largest barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea forcing the US and British navies to shoot down the projectiles in a major naval engagement authorities said Wednesday No damage was immediately reported A total of 18 drones two cruise missiles and the antiship missile were downed by US F18s and US and british navy shipsUS defends its veto of call for ceasefireThe US defended its veto of a call for the immediate suspension of hostilities in Gaza at a UN meeting Tuesday and again faced demands by the Palestinians and many other countries for a ceasefire US deputy ambassador Robert Wood called the Russianproposed amendment to a December 22 Security Council resolution which it vetoed ldquodisconnected from the situation on the groundrdquo The council then adopted a watereddown resolution with the US abstaining calling for steps to allow expanded humanitarian aid into GazaFormer UK Oppn leader to join delegation at ICJFormer UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will join a South African delegation for this weekrsquos hearings at the International Court of Justice where the country accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza In the case Israel has been accused of intending ldquoto destroy Palestinians in GazardquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever