US Secretary of State in Cairo ahead of Jerusalem and Ramallah amid escalation of violence
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the American University in Cairo, Egypt, this Sunday, January 29, 2023. AP - Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Antony Blinken arrived this Sunday January 29 in Cairo.
Egypt is the first stage of the visit of the head of American diplomacy to the Middle East, a tour which should take him this Monday to Israel and Tuesday to Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
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The US Secretary of State's tour had been planned for a long time, but the sudden outbreak of violence between Israelis and Palestinians gives it a whole new importance.
Thursday's Israeli raid on a refugee camp in Jenin, West Bank, which killed nine people, and the two attacks by Palestinian youths, one near a synagogue in East Jerusalem killing seven, the other in Silwan, a stone's throw from the Old City, with two injuries, will certainly be at the center of the discussions.
Will Antony Blinken succeed in calming things down?
To ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians?
And this when new Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu leads the most nationalist government in Israel's history and promises to take a hard line on the Palestinians?
And that the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, 87 years old and unpopular, has very little influence on the angry youth?
Headed to Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank.
My fourth trip to the region as Secretary underscores our commitment to deepen bilateral relationships and people-to-people ties, promote human rights, and strengthen regional and global security.
pic.twitter.com/6UPtKCmuAd
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 28, 2023
►Also read: Israel: the executive takes action after the attacks in East Jerusalem
Antony Blinken will plead the need to “
take urgent steps towards de-escalation
”, assured a spokesperson for the State Department.
In Cairo, the head of American diplomacy will try to convince the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, to once again play a role of intermediary with the Palestinians.
In Jerusalem on Monday and in Ramallah on Tuesday, Mr. Blinken is expected to hammer home US support for a two-state solution, Israeli and Palestinian, again.
But his room for maneuver seems very limited, as the situation is blocked.
The death this Sunday of an 18-year-old Palestinian, killed by Israeli security guards near a settlement in the occupied West Bank, will not make his task any easier.
►Also read: Iran claims to have repelled a drone attack on a military site in Isfahan
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Mahmoud Abbas
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Binyamin Netanyahu
Egypt
United States
Diplomacy
Palestinian territories
Israel