E-Paper
US' big charge: Vladimir Putin seeking to 'take advantage' of Israel-Hamas war
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that there cannot be a "reversion of the status quo with Hamas running Gaza."
US secretary of state Antony Blinken accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of trying to use the Israel-Hamas war to reduce Western support for Ukraine.
"Putin is very much trying to take advantage of the Hamas attack on Israel in the hopes that it will distract us... and that it will result in the United States pulling back its resources" from Ukraine, Antony Blinken told a US Senate hearing on supplemental national security funding.
On US aid for Ukraine, Antony Blinken asserted that a halt to the same could encourage other countries to follow suit.
"This is an instance where we've seen very significant burden sharing that would almost certainly go away if we go away. The message it would send... to each and every one of these countries is that the United States is abandoning ship, well, we may as well do too."
The Palestinian Authority should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, while international players potentially filling a role in an interim, he said.
Read more: Dozens reported killed in explosion in northern Gaza refugee camp
"At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza," Antony Blinken told a hearing, adding, “Whether you can get there in one step is a big question that we have to look at. And if you can't, then there are other temporary arrangements that may involve a number of other countries in the region. It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance.”
The US secretary of state also said that there cannot be a "reversion of the status quo with Hamas running Gaza."
"We also can't have -- and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves -- Israel running or controlling Gaza," he said.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that Putin will succeed in his bid to seize Ukrainian territory if the United States halts support for Kyiv.
“I can guarantee you that without our support, Putin will be successful. If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he wants to do in acquiring his neighbor's sovereign territory,” Lloyd Austin said.
