1 of 1 Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / Pool / via AP Photo Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / Pool / via AP Photo
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv this Thursday (12) to demonstrate US support for Israel following the attack by the Hamas group last Saturday (7). Since then, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
Blinken’s agenda includes a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other authorities such as the country’s President Isaac Herzog and diplomats from the American government.
After the short visit to Israel, Blinken also has to travel to Amman, the capital of Jordan. A meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also planned. Shortly before Blinken’s arrival, Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israel’s nighttime bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Antony Blinken’s visit shows US support for Israel. Shortly before boarding, the foreign minister said that the Israeli government had broad American support and that the Joe Biden administration’s decision was to ensure that Israel “has everything necessary” to ensure the security of its people.
Washington will try to prevent the conflict from becoming larger and affecting other antiIsrael groups in the region.
Six days after the attack, the greatest concern remains the civilian population. At least 100 people were taken hostage by Hamas. Before the trip, Blinken confirmed the deaths of 22 Americans and said that number could rise.
Diplomats and United States officials have also spoken with Egypt to establish a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians, who could potentially be foreigners from Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Blinken sent a chilling message to antiIsrael groups like the Iranbacked Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tehran said Hamas acted in defense of the Palestinians but was not directly involved in the extremist movement’s attack.
Violence on Israel’s border with Lebanon has increased in the last 72 hours, with Israeli shelling reportedly hitting towns in southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli military barracks in the area.
Even before these developments, after Saturday’s attack, White House officials shared in the American press Blinken’s conversations with representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, whether allied with Israel or not hostile to prevent this so that the conflict does not worsen.
Regarding preparations for an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, Blinken said before the trip that the Biden administration is confident that the Israeli government will respect international law and avoid targeting civilian casualties.
But as Bliken works behind the scenes to prevent the conflict from escalating, the Biden administration has also positioned itself by sending an aircraft carrier ship en route to the eastern Mediterranean that includes squadrons of advanced military forces. Aerobatic aircraft like the F35. The fighter costs $250 million and is capable of remotely firing mediumrange missiles and radar for day and night operations.
Facing low popularity due to the slowing American economy, national debt and high interest rates, Biden quickly took a stand shortly after the attack, calling Hamas’ act “purely evil.” Among Republicans, the conflict was also exploited on a platform. On Wednesday evening (11), former President Donald Trump, currently one of the Republican candidates for the White House, said in a speech in Florida that Hamas “never attacked Israel” under his administration.