TOKYO: The United States has given the Zionist entity its unequivocal support in its war with Hamas, though it wants its ally not to besiege or reoccupy Gaza, and to mitigate the deepening humanitarian crisis.

Washington has backed the entity’s rejection of a ceasefire in the war, and also stands with it in its determination to crush Hamas following the Oct 7 attacks. “Ultimately, the only way to ensure that this crisis never happens again is to begin setting the conditions for durable peace and security, and to frame our diplomatic efforts now with that in mind,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday after a Group of 7 meeting in Japan.

While several countries around the world and UN agencies have called for a ceasefire, the G7 foreign ministers called in their joint statement for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” — in line with US policy on the conflict. Speaking to reporters after the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, Blinken also said Gaza should not be used “as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks”.

At the same time, Blinken laid out the United States’ clearest boundaries on the war since Oct 7, telling the Zionist entity that Washington believes there should be “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza — not now, not after the war”. He also said: “No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza.”

His comments appeared to indicate that American officials may be growing more concerned over the entity’s conduct of the war — even as Washington denies that it is seeking to influence its ally on its conduct. It will also be necessary to “include the Palestinian people’s voices and aspirations at the center of post-crisis governance in Gaza” after the war, and see the territory “unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority”, Blinken said.

Two states

Since the start of the war, the top US diplomat has been on a whirlwind offensive in the region. Last Sunday he made a surprise visit to Ramallah for talks with President Mahmoud Abbas after visiting the Zionist entity on Friday and Jordan on Saturday, as well as Iraq and Turkey.

In Tokyo, Blinken urged “a sustained mechanism for reconstruction in Gaza”, which has been devastated by the conflict, and “a pathway to (Zionists) and Palestinians living side by side in states of their own, with equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity, and dignity”.

Blinken’s comments contrast with Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent vow that the Zionist entity would take “overall security responsibility” of the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period after the war. Blinken, who arrived in Seoul on Thursday, acknowledged the entity’s remarks on security.

“It’s also clear that (the Zionist entity) cannot occupy Gaza. Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict, but it is imperative that the Palestinian people be central to governance in Gaza and in the West Bank,” Blinken said. But according to him, the Zionists have “no intent to reoccupy Gaza”.

Meanwhile, the United States has joined the Zionist entity in rejecting calls for a ceasefire, pushing instead for a “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid deliveries, free movement of civilians trapped by the fighting, and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

While Washington is engaged in intense talks with Zionist leaders, with President Joe Biden in daily contact with Netanyahu, the contours of such pauses have yet to be defined. It is unclear whether they would apply to the whole of the Gaza Strip or just the south of the territory, as the Zionist military focuses its offensive on the north and on Gaza City.