The US Secretary of State for the Middle East in the midst of an outbreak of violence

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in May 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

AP - Alex Brandon

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Coming from Cairo, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, begins this Monday, January 30, a visit to Israel and Palestine, in an attempt to ease tensions in the region.

A tour that promises to be difficult.

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Direction Jerusalem and Ramallah, for the American Secretary of State.

A displacement planned for a long time, but which comes in full degradation of the security situation.

This will be Antony Blinken's number one concern.

He will call on his interlocutors, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, to take urgent steps towards de-escalation.

►Read again: The American Secretary of State in Cairo before Jerusalem and Ramallah

Another subject at the center of the talks: the Iranian nuclear dossier.

The visit comes as US sources claim Israel was responsible for a drone attack on an

.

Complete silence on this subject in Israel.

And then there are also the subjects that are likely to annoy: the judicial reform initiated by the Israeli government.

And the revival of construction in the settlements desired by the diehards of Mr. Netanyahu's coalition.

Correspondence from Jerusalem,

Reconnect with “Bibi”

For the White House, it was above all a question of renewing contact with Benyamin Netanyahu, just re-elected with his far-right coalition, and of recalling the attachment of the United States to a two-State solution.

The program of the new Israeli government is a source of concern for Washington, in particular the reform of justice, much criticized inside Israel itself.

And then there is also the plan to legalize dozens of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

A red line for Washington, which warned a few weeks ago against any continuation of the colonization policy.

The arrival of Antony Blinken should thus make it possible to discuss all this, but the talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders risk being dominated by the renewed tension between the two parties.

And the head of American diplomacy will probably be able to do nothing more than call for calm.

The American administration would have done well without these new tensions, especially since it is already busy with the war in Ukraine and relations with China.

In New York,

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• United States

• Israel

• Palestinian territories

• Joe Biden

• Diplomacy

• Binyamin Netanyahu

• Mahmoud Abbas