Blinken holds surprise West Bank meeting with Abbas

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah. The meeting took place amidst growing global concern over escalating violence in the occupied territory, in conjunction with the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza since October 7. Photographs released by the Palestinian Authority documented the high-security encounter.