JERUSALEM: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid, reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank.

On his first official visit to the region, Blinken met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders with the immediate aim of shoring up last week's ceasefire that ended 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.