Antony Blinken in the Middle East to consolidate the truce between Israel and Hamas
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken received by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25, 2021. AP - Alex Brandon
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Four days after the entry into force of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups, the head of American diplomacy arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, May 25.
He begins a tour of the Middle East which will also take him to the Palestinian Territories, Egypt and Jordan.
A first regional tour for the new US Secretary of State dictated by urgency: Anthony Blinken comes to ensure the consolidation of the ceasefire concluded last week.
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With our special correspondent in Tel Aviv,
Guilhem Delteil
"
The most important thing is that this ceasefire holds,
" a senior State Department official confided on Monday. This is the primary objective of this visit and for that, the head of the American diplomacy will visit all the actors involved in this truce, with the exception of Hamas, the movement in power in Gaza considered as terrorist by United States.
His message should be twofold.
On the one hand, Anthony Blinken will reaffirm the “
firm commitment
” of the United States to the security of Israel recalled this Monday by President Joe Biden.
And on the other, he will discuss the needs for the reconstruction of Gaza and the delivery in this Palestinian enclave of international aid through
the UN
and the Palestinian Authority so that it benefits "
the people." Palestinian
”and not to Hamas, underlines Washington.
►
See also: Gaza: after the bombings, families in the schools of the UN agency for refugees
Two-state solution
But for this first regional tour, Anthony Blinken should also mark a rebalancing of the American position.
While the Trump administration had adopted a position very favorable to Israel, the new US Secretary of State will reaffirm his commitment to the two-state solution.
During this visit, he hopes "to
achieve tangible progress
" to promote "
freedom, security and prosperity
" of both parties.
And for that, Anthony Blinken will have "
frank and important conversations
," warns the State Department.
►
To read also: Paris warns against a "
risk of apartheid
" in Israel
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Gaza
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Israelo-Palestinian conflict
United States
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