US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said they will continue to push China to get the necessary answers about the source of COVID-19.
And that they will prevent the aid they send to Palestine from reaching the hands of Hamas.
Secretary Blinken also answered questions about U.S. foreign policy priorities at the session on the House Foreign Relations Committee, where the department’s 2022 budget was discussed.
At the session where questions arose about the US position in the confrontation with China and especially the source of COVID-19, Blinken tried to convince MPs that they had taken the necessary steps.
Blinken explained that they “will hold China accountable” after using all the arguments available to them and the reports of US institutions about the source of the epidemic.
Minister Blinken also emphasized that they are closely following the Beijing administration over human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and its regulations in Hong Kong, and that they will continue to criticize these issues.
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“The aid we send to Palestine will not go to Hamas”
On the other hand, Blinken made it clear that they are working closely with all parties in order to maintain the ceasefire and maintain calm in the region after the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
In the section where many representatives expressed their support for Israel, Blinken tried to stress that they were confident that the aid that the United States would send to Palestine would not fall into the hands of Hamas.
“We have done this before, and we have many partners there, and by working with them we will make sure that the aid that we send to the Palestinians and Gaza does not fall into the hands of Hamas,” the US secretary said.
The United States is considering appointing a special envoy to Guantanamo
On the other hand, Blinken said in a question that they are working to establish an office or appoint a special representative to monitor the conditions of prisoners in Guantanamo and close the prison closely.
Asked if they had such preparations, Blinken said: “Yes, we are actively working on this, I want to make sure we have everything we need here in terms of staff and resources, including someone who dedicates all of his time to it.”
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Blinken struggled to answer the ICC question
Blinken asked, recalling that Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar does not recognize some of the powers of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the United States with respect to Israel and Afghanistan.
“Where do people go to claim their rights?”, the question put Blinken at a difficult time.
Blinken argued that the legal system in the United States and Israel is able to respond to the allegations of victims and that victims in Afghanistan also have some opportunities.
Omar’s question, “What legal mechanism does the United States support for these victims?” He was finding it difficult to answer his question.
In the session, which lasted about 4 hours, Blinken also assessed Russia’s actions in the region, the latest developments in the nuclear negotiations with Iran and the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops.
He stated that human rights would take a greater place in the region, The Biden Administration’s Foreign Policy.
The Biden administration requested a total of $58.5 billion for the State Department in the fiscal year 2022 budget that it submitted to Congress.
