The U.S. on Tuesday reiterated its stance on Gaza, stressing the need for Palestinian-led governance and opposing any reoccupation or territorial reduction after the end of the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave.
"We have been clear numerous times that what we are working towards and what we want to see is Palestinian-led governance in Gaza and a Gaza that is unified with the West Bank under what we hope is a revitalized Palestinian Authority," deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a briefing.
Patel recalled Secretary of State Antony Blinken's remarks in Tokyo during a visit in November 2023, where he said the U.S. opposed the reoccupation of Gaza or any territorial reduction in Gaza after the war ends.
"What we want to work on and what we want to see are affirmative elements that will get us to a sustained peace, and that, in our view, needs to include the Palestinians people's voices, their aspirations, and that needs to be at the center of post-crisis governance in Gaza," the spokesperson said.
"The United States would not and will not support anything less than that," he added.
Earlier, Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and "discussed the importance of charting a new path forward in the post-conflict period that allows Palestinians to rebuild their lives and provides governance, security, and reconstruction for Gaza," the State Department said.
