U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told business and political leaders in Davos on Wednesday he could not think of a time in his career when there had been more global challenges, ranging from war in Gaza and Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 17 2024 © WEF
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told business and political leaders in Davos on Wednesday he could not think of a time in his career when there had been more global challenges, ranging from war in Gaza and Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan.
Blinken said that almost none of the problems that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wanted to address could be tackled in isolation, echoing comments on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who called for greater global cooperation.
Describing the conflict in Gaza as "gutwrenching", Blinken said what was needed to resolve the situation was a Palestinian state with a government structure "that gives people what they want and works with Israel to be effective".
"The suffering breaks my heart," he said during a keynote session at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, adding: "The question is what is to be done."
The U.S. Secretary of State said that Washington was hearing from virtually every country in the Middle East that they wanted the United States to be at the table in discussions over how to bring about an end to Israel's war with Hamas militants in Gaza.
And he said Washington was also in demand elsewhere.
"There is a greater premium than ever on a U.S. partnership," Blinken told the WEF panel audience.
Reporting by Leela de Kretser and Alexander Smith
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his U.S. counterpart that military operations in the Gaza Strip have created conditions that would enable a hostage deal to be reached, Gallant's office said on Wednesday.
A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Middle East was briefly interrupted on Wednesday when two protesters stood with signs and yelled for the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that its mission to install and operate a temporary, floating pier off the coast of Gaza was complete, formally ending an extraordinary but troubled effort to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
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