US Secretary Blinken meets Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Amman

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Amman. Blinken began a tour of Arab capitals as he seeks to build pressure on Hamas while Israel readies a likely massive offensive on the Gaza Strip following the militants' attacks.
The top US diplomat will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. During his visit to Tel Aviv, Blinken promised unwavering solidarity to US ally Israel after the surprise October 7 offensive by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 people and took about 150 more hostage.