Top Biden adviser to meet Palestinian President Abbas today
World
Biden's national security adviser will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday about the war in Gaza and ensuring that the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 is never repeated, senior U.S. officials said.
The adviser, Jake Sullivan, will discuss "ongoing efforts to revamp and revitalize" the Palestinian Authority and reining in "extremist settler violence" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, said one of the officials, who declined to be named.
Sullivan said on Thursday that governance of the West Bank and Gaza Strip needs to be connected under a refurbished Palestinian Authority.
The official said U.S.-trained Palestinian security forces had performed "incredibly well" in preventing violence instigated by Hamas in the West Bank after the Oct. 7 attack, and there were a number of personnel there that could form "some sort of a nucleus" for a future force in the months following Israel's military campaign.
"This is something we're discussing with the Palestinians and with the Israelis and with regional partners. And it very much remains a work in progress," the official said. "That is one idea of many."
Biden remained strongly committed to a two-state solution, but that could not happen as long as Hamas remained the dominant power in Gaza, the official added.
"The Palestinian Authority will look to ultimately have a role there, and that is something we are talking about with them," the official said, adding that Washington was working to ensure that it was prepared for "every possible contingency."
The goal was to see a foundation put in place for an enduring and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Sullivan told Israel's Channel 12 television that he also spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel shifting from high-intensity military operations in Gaza to a more precise and targeted phase.
Sullivan declined to give details or a timeline, but he called the conversation constructive and said there was a "wide degree of convergence" on strategic objectives and steps needed.
Palestinians, meanwhile, have complained of a rise in Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, with some 275 people killed since Oct. 7.
The White House said Sullivan's talks in the region had also been focused on resuming a humanitarian pause in fighting to allow for the release of more hostages held in Gaza.
