Palestinian Americans refuse invitation to meet with Blinken

(Patria) - Some members of the Palestinian-American community who received an invitation on Thursday to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused the invitation due to Washington's policy toward the conflict and crisis in Gaza, Reuters reported.

"A meeting of this nature at this time is insulting and performative," a group of Palestinian-American community members said in a statement, adding that they represent the majority of those invited.

Members of the Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim communities in the United States, as well as anti-war activists across the country, have protested against U.S. policy in the Gaza conflict, where about 27,000 people, more than 1% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, have been killed in Israeli attacks.

"They (Blinken and President Joe Biden) show us every day whose lives they value and whose lives they consider disposable. We will not attend this discussion, which can only be an exercise in box-ticking," the Palestinian-American group said on Thursday, adding that they see Washington as complicit in Israeli actions.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told reporters on Thursday that Blinken met with "several leaders" of the Palestinian-American community, without specifying how many attended.

Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have recently occurred across the U.S., including near airports and bridges in New York and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House, and marches in Washington. Demonstrators have also protested at Biden's speeches and campaign events, including in Michigan on Thursday.