(MENAFN- Live Mint) A woman shouted and heckled at US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference on Tuesday. The incident was captured on camera.
In a video clip from the press conference that went viral, the woman could heard referring to Blinken as “bl**dy Blinken” and "Secretary of genocide" . She reportedly vowed that Blinken would be held accountable for signing off on weapons shipments to Israel amid the war in Gaza.
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"Your legacy will be genocide. You will forever be known as bl**dy Blinken, secretary of genocide . You have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands...the blood of innocent civilians and children is on your hands...we will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hold you accountable," the woman said.
The protests were brief and Blinken appeared unfazed. "I respect your views, please allow me to share mine," said Blinken, who seemed unmoved by the woman's monologue.
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The incident happened when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaz as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion.
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington in his final days as the US top diplomat, Blinken said Washington envisioned a reformed Palestinian Authority leading Gaza and inviting international partners to help establish and run an interim administration for the enclave, Reuters reported.
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Blinken touted the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discussed the importance of ensuring its success after the Joe Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
He was speaking as negotiators met in Qatar hoping to finalize a plan to end the war in Gaza after 15 months of conflict that has upended the Middle East.
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"For many months, we've been working intensely with our partners to develop a detailed post-conflict plan that would allow Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from filling back in, and provide for Gaza's governance, security and reconstruction," Blinken was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Trump and his incoming team have not said whether they would implement the plan. Blinken said a post-conflict plan and a "credible political horizon for Palestinians" was needed to ensure that Hamas does not re-emerge.
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