Palestinian leader to Blinken: Gaza integral to statehood, peace conference needed

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday 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 Israeli-occupied 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. (Writing by Dan Williams)