US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, days after an Egypt-brokered ceasefire halted Israel’s 11-day bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Blinken, who said earlier his trip would aim to support “efforts to solidify a ceasefire”, was set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, though he was not to meet Hamas.
He will then travel on to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
I have asked Secretary Blinken to travel to the Middle East to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and other key partners. He will discuss our continued commitment to Israel’s security and the coordinated effort to ensure assistance reaches Gaza. https://t.co/Mg6X0qvt7L
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 24, 2021
US President Joe Biden said Blinken would meet “with Israeli leaders about our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” as well as seeking to rebuild ties with the Palestinians.
Blinken on Sunday said that US support for a two-state solution is the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live “with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity.”
Monday Briefing: Secretary Blinken travels to the Middle East | Read the latest analysis of this week's stories from our top experts including @rmslim, @fordrs58, @Charles_Lister, and more.
Read the briefings here: https://t.co/80I9RzqgJX
— Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) May 24, 2021
Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 280 Palestinians, including 70 children, and wounded over 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
