The tour includes Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman
Blinken travels to the Middle East to reinforce the ceasefire
A child walks among the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli raid in Gaza.
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Anthony Blinken: "The United States is adopting active diplomacy to end military actions and reduce tension."
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US President Joe Biden dispatched his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to the Middle East, yesterday, to reinforce the ceasefire between Israel and the "Hamas" movement in Gaza. The tour includes Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman. Blinken will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials and other leaders in the region, at a time when The cease-fire, following the fiercest fighting in years, between Israel and Hamas entered its fourth day yesterday.
The US State Department said that Blinken's tour, which extends until the day after tomorrow, will hold meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Announcing the visit, Biden said that he had asked Blinken to make this trip after diplomatic efforts aimed at stopping the worst outbreak of violence between Israel and "Hamas" in years. Biden added in a statement issued by the White House: "Blinken will meet with the leaders of Israel to discuss our firm commitment to the security of Israel." .
And he will continue our administration's endeavors to build relationships and support the Palestinian people and Palestinian leaderships after years of neglect. ”
Biden added that Blinken would also discuss "the international effort to ensure immediate aid arrives in Gaza in a way that benefits the people there, not Hamas, and reduces the risk of another conflict erupting in the coming months."
Blinken wrote in a tweet yesterday: “At the request of President Joe Biden, I go to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman to meet the parties in support of efforts to strengthen the ceasefire,” stressing that “the United States is adopting active diplomacy to put an end to military actions and reduce tension.” .
A senior US State Department official said that Blinken’s visit to the Middle East will focus mainly on ensuring the steadfastness of the ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Israelis and working with the parties concerned to ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza. The official indicated that it is too early to try to start peace talks, but Washington remains committed. With the two-state solution, Blinken's visit is a first step in opening the "separation of communication" in the long-running conflict.
For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an urgent start of a political path to solve the Palestinian issue after confirming the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian factions and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Abbas stressed in a statement after his meeting in Ramallah, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the need to move after fixing the calm to the stage of the urgent start of a political process under the supervision of the International Quartet, while Shukri stressed the need to stop practices that undermine peace and fuel violence between Israel and the Palestinians, including in Jerusalem. Eastern.
In turn, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called for "a serious and real path to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees", stressing the need to support an international political initiative to achieve this, and indicated that the Gaza Strip now needs immediate relief, And a program of reconstruction.
• The US Secretary discusses, during his tour, ensuring the arrival of immediate aid to Gaza and supporting the security of Israel.
• A US State Department official confirms Washington’s commitment to the two-state solution.
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