Before going to Amman on Wednesday, May 26, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, whose country played a central role in silencing the guns after eleven days of deadly violence.

During the tour, which began on Tuesday in Israel and then in the occupied West Bank, he stressed the American desire to "rebuild" the relationship of the United States with the Palestinians, while recognizing Israel's "right" to defend itself.

"The ceasefire was important," Blinken told reporters after his meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II.

“But we see the ceasefire not as an end, but as the start of something to be built,” he said.

“Our talks today in Cairo and Amman - in fact this whole trip - reflects a fundamental reality,” he added.

"If we want to avoid the return of the violence of recent weeks, the countries of the region will have to help and support each other."

For his part, Abdallah II underlined according to a statement from the Royal Palace "the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and not to undermine its holy places", administered by Jordan, a country bound by a peace treaty with Israel and where half of the 10 million inhabitants have Palestinian origins.

American financial aid for Gaza

The US foreign minister met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday in Ramallah, West Bank.

He had confirmed that the United States was "providing" aid of "more than 360 million dollars (293 million euros)" to the Palestinians, including 38 million in humanitarian aid (31 million euros) .

Mr. Blinken also said he is "working with Congress" in the United States to provide economic and development assistance of $ 75 million (about € 61 million).

Emergency aid of 5.5 million dollars (4.5 million euros) for the Gaza Strip, severely affected by Israeli bombing, is also planned.

But this aid must not go to Hamas, in power in Gaza, "which has brought nothing but misery and despair," Blinken stressed.

The head of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, Yahya Sinouar, assured Wednesday that "no penny" of international aid would be diverted.

Qatar for its part announced on Wednesday that it would provide aid of $ 500 million for the reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave.

Cairo had promised the same amount last week.

A "two-state solution"

The first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, Egypt maintains relations with both Israel and Hamas, considered "terrorist" by the Jewish state, the European Union and the United States.

According to a press release from the Egyptian presidency, Mr. Blinken "appreciated Egypt's significant efforts to achieve, and maintain, a ceasefire", with President Sisi stressing "the importance of working quickly to the resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians with active American participation ".

During this tour in the Middle East, Antony Blinken also renewed the support of the American administration for "a two-state solution", Israeli and Palestinian, put aside by the administration of Donald Trump.

An option also reaffirmed by the head of British diplomacy Dominic Raab, who underlined in a tweet "British support for the two-state solution, the only way to achieve lasting peace", after talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

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