US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, confirmed on Friday that the United States “has begun work to lay the foundations for building two separate states” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the long term.

Blinken said: “The events of October 7 strengthened our belief in the necessity of a comprehensive peace (between the Israelis and the Palestinians), and this will not be achieved except with the two-state solution,” to which Washington has always expressed its commitment.

These statements came in a press conference from the Indian capital, New Delhi, at the conclusion of Blinken's visit to the Middle East and Indian Ocean region, which is his second trip to the region since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

According to Blinken, the United States is working to “prevent the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the expulsion of Palestinians, and maintain the status quo in the holy areas, in addition to stopping settler violence, in addition to the commitment to achieve a unified Palestinian-led administration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are the foundations on which "It will bring about comprehensive peace between the two sides."

He added that he presented these topics to various parties during his visit to Israel, which included the Palestinian territories, in addition to Jordan.

Blinken said: “We have a lot of work ahead of us to lay concrete foundations for building two separate states, and at the same time we are working on another path by providing protection for civilians in Gaza and increasing humanitarian aid to them.”

He stressed the "need to do more" to protect Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, welcoming at the same time Israel's approval of daily "truces" in its war with Hamas in the Strip, to allow the exit of residents from its north.

Blinken continued: “I consider that some progress has been made, but it is very clear that there is a need to do more in terms of protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance to them.”

He added: "The Middle East and Indian Ocean tour had several goals, including alleviating the suffering affecting the Palestinians, working to prevent the conflict from developing to other countries, in addition to returning American and foreign hostages from Gaza."

The US Secretary of State reiterated his rejection of the "forced displacement of the population of Gaza" and the necessity of "not using the Gaza Strip as a platform for launching terrorist attacks against Israel."