Palestinian Americans refuse to partake in 'performative' meet with Blinken

Some members of the Palestinian American community who received an invite to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have declined the invitation over their frustration with Washington's policy in the war waged by Israel on Gaza, where it has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians.

"A meeting of this nature at this moment in time is insulting and performative," a group of Palestinian American community members said in a statement on Thursday, adding they represented a majority of those invited.

Members from the Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities in the United States, as well as anti-war activists across the country, have protested American policy in the conflict in Gaza, where about 27,000 people, more than 1 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million population, have died in Israel's assault.

"They (Blinken and President Joe Biden) show us every day whose lives they value and whose lives they consider disposable. We will not be attending this discussion which can only amount to a box-ticking exercise," the Palestinian American group said, adding it saw Washington as complicit in Israeli actions.

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis has left Gaza on the brink of starvation. The United Nations has called for a humanitarian ceasefire, which the US has opposed.

A US State Department spokesperson told reporters Blinken met with a "number of leaders" from the Palestinian American community, without specifying how many attended.

Demonstrators have also protested at Biden speeches and campaign events, including in Michigan on Thursday.

Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have recently occurred across the US, including near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House and marches in Washington.

Demonstrators have also protested at Biden speeches and campaign events, including in Michigan on Thursday.

Unwavering US support to Israel

Israel's military invasion and strikes since October 7, when Hamas blitz stunned the Middle East's nuclear power, have flattened much of the densely populated enclave and displaced nearly all its population, with many also feared buried in rubble.

US has never held back in arming Israel, regardless of alarming Gaza civilian casualties.

The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion in annual military dole. Biden has asked Congress to approve an additional $14 billion.

Hamas says its Operation Al Aqsa Flood on October 7 — a multi-pronged surprise raid that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air — was in retaliation for the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque, growing violence by illegal Israeli settlers, and consistent raids on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Before the start of the fight, 2023 was considered the deadliest year for Palestinians that didn't involve major clashes between the two sides.

Israel says the fighting will continue until Hamas resistance group is crushed, and argue that only military action can win the release of some 130 captives held in Gaza by Palestinian fighters, although occupation forces are criticised by relatives of the captives for their indiscriminate bombings that resulted in the death of some Israelis and other attacks that involved the killing of three Israeli hostages who escaped captivity.

But commentators and analysts have begun to question whether Netanyahu's objectives are realistic, given the war entering its 119th day, Palestinian fighters giving tough resistance to invading forces and growing international criticism, including genocide accusations against Tel Aviv at the United Nations World Court.