Blinken and Pompeo Share a Stage for the First Time Since Leaving Office, Differing on a Palestinian State and Iran
Former secretaries of state Antony Blinken and Mike Pompeo appeared together on November 8 at the opening plenary of the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Washington, their first joint public appearance since both left office. The conversation, moderated by ABC News anchor Juju Chang, opened a three-day conference attended by some 2,500 people.
Blinken said the only way forward was through a secure Israel and a sovereign Palestine: a future Palestinian state, he said, should be demilitarized, with groups such as Hamas kept without arms, and Palestinian society itself de-radicalized, including its education and what is preached in mosques. He said there were about seven million Jews and seven million Arabs and Palestinians, and that no one was going anywhere. He also said a diplomatic resolution with Iran would probably require U.S. concessions, including sanctions relief.
Pompeo took the opposite view, saying that after the October 7 attacks a two-state outcome was further away than it had been in a long time, and he opposed concessions to Iran in favour of stronger pressure. The two men agreed on defending the U.S.-Israel relationship. Blinken served as secretary of state under President Biden, and Pompeo under President Trump in his first term.
Source: Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：时任美国国务卿布林肯在机场停机坪向记者讲话（资料图）。图：美国国务院，公共领域，经维基共享资源 / Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking to reporters on an airport tarmac (file photo). Photo by the U.S. Department of State, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
