US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel today for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, hoping to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 23,000 people.
Antony Blinken, the top US diplomat, is visiting Israel for the fifth time since the outbreak of the Gaza war and is meeting with Israeli leaders to explore ways to prevent a further escalation of the violence in the region.
“I have come from several countries in the region, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and I want to convey what I learned from those leaders to the president, as I will also do later with the prime minister and the cabinet. this evening,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting in Tel Aviv with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Afterwards, following a meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, Blinken stated that there are “real possibilities” for Israel to integrate into the Middle East, but that it has to overcome a “very challenging situation”, as the war continues in Gaza.
The US Secretary of State also intends to meet later with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; with the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant; with the security cabinet and with the families of the captives; and tomorrow he will meet in the West Bank with Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.
Blinken came to Israel for the fifth time since the war started three months ago with the aim of promoting a de-escalation in the conflict, when Israeli military officials have already declared that the war will soon enter a new, less intense phase and more concentrated on specific operations. .
“I want to thank the United States, President Biden, the administration and you, Secretary Blinken, for your moral obligation, for the fact that you stand strong with Israel in this fight, which clearly has to do with humanity and the values of the free world. Thank you very much,” President Herzog said of American backing for Israel.
Herzog referred to the hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which will start on Thursday, on the accusation of genocide against Israel filed by South Africa, a country he called “hypocritical.”
“There is nothing more heinous and absurd than this accusation. In reality, our enemies, Hamas, in their charter call for the destruction and annihilation of the State of Israel, the only nation state of the Jewish people. “The Convention against Genocide was enacted by the international community after one of the worst atrocities of humanity, the Holocaust, which was aimed specifically at the Jews, to eliminate the Jewish race, the Jewish people,” the president said.
The Gaza war has resulted in more than 23,000 deaths, some 59,000 injuries and the displacement of 1.9 million people in a territory of 2.3 million people.
