Free Republic

Hamas should accept an “extraordinarily generous” proposal to release Israeli hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a temporary cease-fire, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hamas is expected to respond to the U.S.-led proposal Monday in discussions with Egyptian and Qatari officials in Cairo. “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel,” Blinken said during a panel discussion at the WEF. “And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the next few days, according to three American sources. The sanctions are a result of human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. This will be the first time that the United States government has imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit for its activities in the West Bank. The sources stated that the American sanctions will prohibit the transfer of US military aid to the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, will prevent its soldiers and officers from taking part in training with...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the Biden administration’s position that it would not be in “our interest” to decouple from China during a Monday press conference in Beijing held after talks with genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. Blinken’s two-day trip to China marks the first time a U.S. secretary of state has met with Xi since 2018. After his meeting with Xi, Blinken reiterated that the administration is “not about decoupling” from China; instead, they are about “de-risking and diversifying.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken posted, then deleted, a tweet he posted on Thursday that read that the United States would “stand with the people of Hong Kong.” The South China Morning Post first reported on Blinken’s deleted tweet. The deleted tweet read, “Beijing should let the voices of all Hong Kongers be heard. The PRC’s disqualification of district councilors only weakens Hong Kong’s long-term political & social stability. We stand with the people of Hong Kong and continue to support their human rights & fundamental freedoms.” Blinken soon sent a similar, but watered-down, tweet: “The PRC’s disqualification of seven...

Up to 1,500 Americans are still trapped in Afghanistan and the U.S. is still relying on the Taliban to allow safe passage to Kabul airport with just six days before the August 31 deadline, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a press conference on Wednesday. Blinken gave an updated on the airlift operation and the bid to get all citizens and Afghan allies out amid reports the CIA has joined U.S. troops in rescue missions outside the airport perimeter. Thousands of people are still trying to leave Afghanistan as U.S. troops start leaving and evacuation flights begin to wrap...