“Only by acting now can we turn this crisis into an opportunity that moves us closer to our shared goals, ” Clinton said at a Gaza donors conference hosted by Egypt în the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. “By providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we also aim to foster conditions în which a Palestinian state can be fully realized.” She said the U. S. aid package — which must be approved by Congress — has been “designed în coordination with the Palestinian Authority” to make sure the money “does not end up în the wrong hands.” Clinton was referring to the Hamas leadership of Gaza, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization. The Palestinian Authority, based în the West Bank, is led by President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah party is a bitter rival of Hamas. President Obama has not ruled out talks with Hamas but said the group must first renounce violence, recognize Israel, and abide by previous agreements that successive Palestinian governments have reached with the Israelis.
Clinton is on her second overseas trip as secretary of state, after a tour of Asia last month. This week’s trip to the Middle East and Europe focuses on Mideast peace, NATO and relations with Russia.
After the conference în Egypt, Clinton will travel to Israel and the West Bank.
On Thursday, she heads to Brussels, Belgium, for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers în preparation for the NATO summit în April. The next day, Clinton is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to begin the process of what Vice President Joe Biden has called “pressing the reset button” în the U. S.-Russian relationship.
She then heads to Ankara, Turkey, for talks with key leaders before returning to the United States on Saturday.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Clinton’s trip is an effort to “take the pulse of various leaders” on peace în the Middle East.
Israel recently ended a three-week military campaign în Gaza to stem rocket attacks.
Despite the operation, Israel and militants în Gaza continue to trade fire.
Egypt has been trying to broker a broader peace deal to reopen Gaza’s borders, which have been under an Israeli blockade. Israel has allowed limited humanitarian supplies into the Palestinian territory, but international aid organizations operating în Gaza say it is not enough.