US backs tangible steps for Palestinian state, Blinken tells Abbas

RAMALLAH (Palestinian Territories), Jan 10 (Agencies): US top diplomat Antony Blinken told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday that Washington supports "tangible steps" towards the creation of a Palestinian state.
Blinken reiterated Washington's longstanding position that a Palestinian state must stand alongside Israel, "with both living in peace and security", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Palestinian statehood was anticipated following the Oslo Accords of the 1990s but talks have been moribund for years.
The Israeli government has shown no interest in reviving negotiations and the Palestinian leadership remains split between the Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas, and Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Abbas described the Gaza Strip as "an integral part of the Palestinian state" according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
"It is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate it, or cut off any part of it," the Palestinian leader told Blinken.
Discussions have been underway for weeks over post-war governance of Gaza, though Israel has warned the fighting is likely to continue for months.
The Palestinian president also raised "efforts made to stop the Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," Wafa reported.
Blinken referred to "increased volatility" in the West Bank, where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in raids by the Israeli military or attacks by Jewish settlers in recent months.
As part of efforts to stabilise the territory, Blinken called on Israel to hand over revenues owed to the Palestinians in full.
Blinken "underscored the United States' position that all Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel should be consistently conveyed to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with prior agreements," Miller said.
International Criminal Court says probing journalist deaths in Gaza
The International Criminal Court confirmed Tuesday that it is investigating potential crimes against journalists since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, where dozens of reporters have been killed.
Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in November that it had filed a complaint with the Hague-based ICC alleging war crimes over the deaths of journalists trying to cover the conflict.
"The office of prosecutor Karim Khan has assured the organization that crimes against journalists are included in its investigation into Palestine," the NGO announced on Monday.
Yemen's Huthis claim missile, drone attack on US ship
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Wednesday said they had fired drones and missiles at an American ship, after US and UK forces reported foiling a large attack in the Red Sea.
Military spokesman Yahya Saree said a "large number" of missiles and drones targeted a US ship that was "providing support" to Israel during its war against Hamas.
"The naval forces, the missile force, and the unmanned air force of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones," he said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Gaza says war death toll hits 23,357
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Wednesday at least 23,357 people have been killed in more than three months of war between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel.
The toll includes 147 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while 59,410 people have been wounded across the Palestinian territory since war erupted on October 7.
British FM ‘worried’ Israel may have breached international law in Gaza
British Foreign Minister David Cameron has said he is worried that Israel’s war on Gaza may have included breaches of international law, and while the advice he received so far was that Israel was compliant, there were questions to answer.