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At Davos, Blinken calls pathway to Palestinian state a necessity for Israeli security

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DAVOS, Switzerland -

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the need for a "pathway to a Palestinian state" Wednesday at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos, saying that Israel would not "get genuine security absent that."

If Israel can be brought into the fold of the Middle East, Blinken said, the region would be coming together to isolate Iran, which he called "the biggest concern in terms of security," as well as its proxies, which include Yemen's Houthi rebels who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea.

• Complete coverage of the Israel-Hamas war

"The problem is getting from here to there, and of course, it requires very difficult, challenging decisions. It requires a mindset that is open to that perspective," Blinken said.

He said that what is different now is the mindset of leaders in the Arab and Muslim world on integrating Israel into the region and that he feels "a fierce urgency of now" because "we're in the midst of what is human tragedy in so many ways in the Middle East right now -- for the Israelis and Palestinians alike."

His comments come as a key Iranian official graces the same hallways of the glitzy event in the Alpine snows of Davos: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian is sitting down for a one-on-one chat with CNN's Fareed Zakaria later Wednesday.

A day earlier, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said in a Davos panel that his country agreed "regional peace includes peace for Israel" and responded "certainly" when asked if Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel as part of a larger political agreement.

"But that can only happen through peace for the Palestinians, through a Palestinian state," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a right-wing government that is opposed to Palestinian statehood, and Netanyahu himself recently said that his actions over the years prevented the formation of such a state.

Blinken said Israelis would need to decide on its leadership and its direction, saying it's up to them whether the country can "seize the opportunity that we believe is there" and calling this "an inflection point" for the Middle East that requires hard decisions.

The leaders of France, Argentina and Spain also will deliver speeches on a busy second day of the elite gathering, where heads of state mingle with corporate executives, activists and more.

It also takes a turn toward the environmental and climate concerns that have animated plea after plea from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the world to come together to take more united action against global warming.

"Let me be very clear -- the phaseout of fossil fuels is essential and inevitable," Guterres said in a speech at Davos.

He cited scientists' recent findings that last year was the hottest on record, but forecasts show Earth could grow hotter still.

"As climate breakdown begins, countries remain hellbent on raising emissions," Guterres said. "Our planet is heading for a scorching three-degree increase in global temperatures. Droughts, storms, fires and floods are pummeling countries and communities."

Experts and policymakers at Davos will take up weighty issues like ensuring a sustainable Middle East and North Africa, working to crack down on plastic waste and searching for ways to maintain life on Earth, no less, amid growing threats to biodiversity.

Blinken, after meetings Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others, was asked in a conversation with New York Times columnist Tom Friedman whether Jewish lives matter more than Palestinian lives. He responded, "No, period."

"What we're seeing every single day in Gaza is gut-wrenching, and the suffering we're seeing among innocent men, women and children breaks my heart," he said.

To ease that trauma, the U.S. is pushing to get more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, to "get better protections and minimize civilian casualties," and impress upon Israel its responsibility to do ensure that is the case every step of the way, Blinken said.

South Africa has formally accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians and pleaded with the United Nations' top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Israel has responded by calling its war in Gaza a legitimate defence of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide.

Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza after the militant group launched a series of attacks on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing around 250. Amid a barrage of bombings and intense fighting, 24,285 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, Gaza's Health Ministry says.

France, along with Qatar, helped mediate the delivery of a shipment of medicine for dozens of hostages held by Hamas on Wednesday, the same day French leader Emmanuel Macron will speak in Davos.

Recently reappointed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Argentina's new president -- self-described "anarcho-capitalist" Javier Milei -- also will take the podium.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy shuttled from room to room to meet with CEOs, financiers and political leaders and made a speech blasting his Russian leader Vladimir Putin and seeking more Western support amid signs of war fatigue.

"Please, strengthen our economy, and we will strengthen your security," the Ukrainian leader said.