Washington - "Jerusalem" dot com - Saeed Erekat - A delegation representing the Palestinian and Arab-American community met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , on Friday, in the State Department building, before the US minister took off on a flight that would take him to the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel and Egypt, where the delegation discussed with him another The developments of the crisis situation in the Palestinian territories in light of the heightened tension and the high level of violence practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian citizens under occupation.

According to a source who participated in the meeting, which was arranged some time ago, and before the recent wave of confrontations launched by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian citizens, and the discussion focused on the minister's agenda for his tour in the region, "which was exacerbated by the recent Israeli military raid in Jenin camp ( Thursday morning), which resulted in the killing of 10 Palestinian citizens, and the injury of more than 20 Palestinian citizens.”

The correspondent of Al-Quds.com learned that the discussions at the meeting were serious, frank and objective, and allowed the Arab-American participants to express their concerns about the goals of American policy and its statements regarding the situation in Palestine, specifically the events in Jenin and the mass displacement of Palestinians from the villages of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank. occupied.”

According to the source, the group expressed to Minister Blinken its opinion that "the United States bears the responsibility to act to curb Israel's aggressive behavior towards the Palestinian people who are under occupation, as decades of turning a blind eye to the United States have led to Israel's policies of settlement expansion, land confiscation, house demolitions, and a group of From other human rights violations to an Israeli sense of impunity and despair among the Palestinians, and whether the administration will fulfill its commitments to equal value for Israelis and Palestinians and their rights to security, prosperity and dignity, the group also stressed that Minister (Blinken) show firmness and determination to rein in the Israeli behavior that threatens the chances of peace in the future."

The group also called on the US Secretary of State to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop all of its illegal unilateral actions that endanger stability in the region. And stop pressuring the Palestinians only and support their legal procedures, including their demands for membership as a member of the United Nations.

The group also raised another central concern of the Palestinian and Arab American community regarding Israel's ongoing efforts to obtain visa waivers to enter the United States at a time when Israel continues to enforce laws that restrict Palestinian Americans' entry into the West Bank, limit their movement, and impose arbitrary conditions on them. (such as the COGAT law adopted by the occupation authorities last October), and the delegation asked the minister to reject these new regulations and to ensure that all Americans receive equal treatment before approving the visa waiver request, including at all entry points, including Gaza .

With regard to the goal highlighted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs behind the Minister's tour in the region, as it comes within the framework of encouraging Israel's integration in the region, the participants urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ensure the protection of the rights of the Palestinians in any regional integration (normalization) projects supported by the United States.

The delegation affirmed the Arab and Palestinian American community's condemnation of anti-Semitism and hate crimes against the Jewish people and other minorities in the United States and elsewhere. They also expressed their deep concern about efforts to expand the definition of anti-Semitism to include criticism of Israeli policies and behavior, and warned that this confusion is nothing more than an attempt to silence any Criticism of Israel and its repressive practices against the Palestinians.

And participated in the meeting with US Secretary of State Blinken and his aides for Middle East affairs, Barbara Leaf and Hadi Amr, on the part of the Arab American community, Hanna Hananiya, Khalil Jahshan, Zaha Hassan, George Salem, James Zogby, Ted Kattouf, Samia Bahour, Nada Al Hanouti, John Debit, and Diab Mustafa.

"This week I met with representatives of the American Jewish and Palestinian American communities to hear their important views ahead of my travels to Israel and the West Bank, and I value these useful discussions," Secretary Blinken said in a tweet on Twitter.