Middle East: Blinken Urges For Peace And Cooperation, Says Alternative Is 'Hamas, Hizballah, Iran, Darkness'

Washington D.C./20.10.23/Turan:   Top U.S. diplomat on Friday urged countries in the Middle East to continue to 'find ways to cooperate, coordinate, when it’s in their interest to do so,' saying that the alternative is 'very stark,' TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"The alternative is equally clear, and it’s very stark: it’s Hamas, it’s Hizballah, it’s Iran, it’s destruction, it’s death, it’s terrorism, it’s darkness," Blinken told a press conference at the State Department.

He went on to elaborate, "... [W]hat’s abundantly clear is that the vast majority of countries, the vast majority of people, want the same thing: They want a region where countries are working together, where relations are normalized, where there’s greater integration, where people are working together, studying together, traveling, doing business. The overwhelming majority of people want that.  And we want to see as well the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people fulfilled in the context of that kind of region."

Blinken's remarks came as the Islamist group Hamas released two U.S. hostages, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were kidnapped in its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

He thanked the Qatari government for assisting in the release of the hostage but declined to comment on the nature of its involvement.

According to him, there are still 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for in this conflict. 

"We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza. They include men, women, young boys, young girls, elderly people, from many nations. Every single one of them should be released," Blinken told reporters.

Alex Raufoglu