U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Landed in Tel Aviv
Date: October 12, 2023
Location: Tel Aviv
THE SOIL – As part of his diplomatic tour of the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday. His task is to convey Washington’s resolute support for Israel in the wake of the recent assault by Palestinian Hamas militants. He also intends to take part in initiatives to stop the conflict in the area from getting any worse.
Blinken seeks to aid in the release of captives held by Hamas, including several nationals of the United States. In case of an Israeli ground invasion, he will also endeavour to facilitate talks with Egyptian and Israeli counterparts about the creation of a safe path for the evacuation of Gaza’s citizens.
Blinken Expected to go to Jordan After Israel
Blinken is expected to go to Jordan after his visit to Israel, where he will meet with King Abdullah and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.
Blinken’s trip happens to align with Israel’s largest-scale airstrike offensive in the seventy-five years of its protracted war with the Palestinians. Their declared goal is to overthrow the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip in full as payback for the recent attacks.
US Actively Working to Foster Negotiations Towards Establishment of Safe Passageways
With the aim of limiting the 2.3 million people living in the region’s food and fuel supply, Israel has established a blockade around Gaza.
An anonymous high-ranking State Department official informed reporters that the US is actively working to foster negotiations towards the establishment of safe passageways for civilians—including US citizens—in the Gaza area.
There are between 500 and 600 Palestinian Americans living in Gaza. Some of them indicate that they would like to leave the area, and we are working hard to organise their safe exit,” the insider revealed.
Israel Should be Interpreted as a Direct Warning to Iran
The source said that in order to make this attempt easier to coordinate, American officials are having extensive meetings with the administrations in Egypt and Israel.
Blinken’s primary objective will be to successfully convey to Iran and allies a strong deterrent message asking them to avoid becoming involved in the current conflict.
At a meeting with leaders of the Jewish community in Washington last Wednesday, President Joe Biden stated that the American military’s and its planes’ proximity to Israel should be interpreted as a direct warning to Iran. It is well known that Iran backs both the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and Hamas.