Palestinians protest Blinken's visit to Ramallah, demand no talks with him

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Dozens of Palestinians organized a protest on Sunday in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the city and demand the Palestinian Authority cut talks with him.

A group of protesters gathered in Al-Manara Square in central Ramallah and raised banners and chanted slogans condemning the American role in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, and accused the Biden administration of active participation in the war.

“We stand here today against the visit of war criminal and Israel’s partner, Antony Blinken,” Bassam Al-Salhi, secretary-general of the Palestinian People’s Party, told Anadolu.

He added: "Blinken comes to Ramallah today like a murderer walking at the funeral of the victim he murdered. We reject the American policy."

He continued: “One month into the war, Palestinian unity is required to thwart the Israeli effort … We say that Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian community and we must stand together to resist and stop the Israeli aggression.”

Father Abdullah Julio, the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Monastery in Ramallah, told Anadolu: “We stand here with Gaza to tell the world that we are with them."

"How can the US secretary of state come to Ramallah and his administration is the one leading the battle against Gaza?” he asked.

"The war taking place against Gaza is unjust and political, not religious, and religion is unfortunately politicized," Abdullah Julio said.

Julio called on Western countries to work to stop the war, and added: "If you want stability, contribute to resolving the Palestinian issue. The oppressed Palestinian people deserve justice."

Blinken visited Ramallah on Sunday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to official Palestinian sources.

On Saturday, Blinken met with the foreign ministers of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, and the secretary general of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein Al-Sheikh, in the Jordanian capital Amman as part of a visit that began earlier in Israel.

Blinken told a press conference following the meeting that Washington currently opposes a cease-fire, claiming that it would benefit Hamas.

Last week the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise Oct. 7 offensive by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The death toll as a result of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is 9,500, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women, according to the latest official figures.