US State of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahoud Abbas discussed US efforts to address extremist violence in the West Bank and minimize civilian harm in Gaza in their meeting on Wednesday, the State Department said.
The two officials also discussed "administrative reforms, which, if implemented, would benefit the Palestinian people," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Abbas: Gaza is integral to Palestinian statehood
Abbas told Blinken that Gaza is integral to Palestinian statehood hopes and should not be cut off as a result of Israel's war with Hamas, an official statement said.
The statement, published by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, further quoted Abbas as saying that Palestinians must not be displaced from Gaza or the West Bank, where he wields limited governance following a 2007 schism with Hamas.
Abbas further called for the "convening an international peace conference to end the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, which achieves peace and security for all," according to WAFA.