Blinken begins Sunday a Middle Eastern tour to stop violence between Israel and the Palestinians

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken begins a tour that includes Egypt, Israel and the occupied West Bank, during which he will especially seek to stop the escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians, after an Israeli military operation killed ten Palestinians on Thursday.

And the US State Department said that Blinken will hold in Israel the first bilateral meeting with the Israeli prime minister since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power at the head of a government that is the most right-wing in Israel's history.

And in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Blinken will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during his visit, which lasts from Sunday to Tuesday.

And "will stress the need for both sides to take steps to de-escalate tensions in order to end the cycle of violence that has claimed so many innocent lives," said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

The visit, which has been in preparation for a long time, comes in the wake of an escalation in violence.

On Thursday, an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank killed ten Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.

"We are aware that there have been civilian casualties, and this is unfortunate," Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat in the Middle East, told reporters.

"It is clear that there is a possibility that things could go wrong from a security point of view," she added.

Lev regretted the decision of the Palestinian Authority to stop security coordination with Israel because of the military operation.

"Far from retreating from security coordination, we believe it is important for the two sides to maintain security coordination, if not, then enhance it," she said.

Blinken begins his tour Sunday in Egypt, which plays the role of mediator between the Israelis and the Palestinians and has managed to maintain friendly relations with the administration of President Joe Biden.

Blinken will discuss regional issues, including Libya and Sudan, and will meet President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, according to the State Department.

Blinken's visit follows a visit by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, which focused mostly on Iran, which remains Netanyahu's biggest concern.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news