US top diplomat Antony Blinken told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that Washington supports “tangible steps” towards the creation of a Palestinian state, AFP reports.

Blinken reiterated Washington’s longstanding position that a Palestinian state must stand alongside Israel, “with both living in peace and security”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

As part of efforts to stabilise the territory, Blinken called on Israel to hand over revenues owed to the Palestinians in full.

Blinken emphasised on “the United States’ position that all Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel should be consistently conveyed to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with prior agreements”, Miller said.