American diplomacy chief Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey on Friday, the first stop on his fourth Middle East trip since the start of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas, during which he plans to advocate for more aid to Gaza and ways to avoid a conflagration in a tense regional context.
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Mr. Blinken expects difficult discussions during this new tour, which, in addition to Israel, will take him to five Arab countries – Jordan, Qatar, Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt – as well as the West Bank early next week. Headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, its spokesman Matthew Miller told the press.
On this trip, scheduled until January 10, the US Secretary of State will discuss “immediate measures to significantly increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” where the humanitarian situation is described by the United Nations and NGOs as “catastrophic.”
“We don’t expect every conversation on this journey to be easy. “It is clear that the region faces difficult issues and difficult decisions must be made,” Miller said.
“However, the Secretary of State believes that it is the responsibility of the United States to lead diplomatic efforts to directly address these challenges,” he added.
The American position is delicate: the United States is Israel's main military supporter and rejects a ceasefire, which is particularly strongly demanded by Arab countries.
However, Washington is not opposed to humanitarian pauses like the one in November that allowed the release of hostages held by Hamas.
By sending the American Secretary of State to the region again – it will be his fifth official trip to Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7th – the United States wants to maintain pressure on the Israeli authorities.
Despite the limited room for maneuver, US government officials reiterate that behind-the-scenes pressure on Israel is working, but make no secret of their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and its conduct of the war.
In response to the October 7 attack, Israel launched an extensive military campaign, relentlessly shelling the Gaza Strip from north to south. According to Hamas, 22,600 people died on the Palestinian side.
The United States also denounces the extreme positions of Israeli ministers who call for the return of Jewish settlers to Gaza after the current war and aim to “encourage” the Palestinian population to emigrate.
“Avoid escalation”
Fears that war could engulf the entire Middle East have escalated since an attack on Tuesday on Hamas No. 2, Saleh al-Arouri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and a double explosion that killed 89 people in Iran on Wednesday Lives were lost, and the Islamic State group continued to rise.
The international community is also concerned about the increase in attacks by Yemen's Houthis on merchant ships in the Red Sea and is calling on them to “immediately stop their illegal attacks,” otherwise these Iran-aligned rebels will claim responsibility. The results”.
Mr. Blinken also spoke about it with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Wednesday. The two officials discussed measures to “prevent escalation in Lebanon and Iran,” the US State Department said on Thursday.
According to a press release, the two ministers also exchanged “measures to reduce tensions in the West Bank” over the phone.
Sweden in NATO
In Turkey, the situation in Gaza is being discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a traditional supporter of the Palestinian cause who has increased his invective against Israel since the start of the conflict and also denounces the United States' support for the Israeli government.
It will also be about putting new pressure on Turkey to ratify Sweden's membership in NATO.
Turkey, which is making its green light conditional on the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets previously blocked by Congress, is the latest member of the Atlantic alliance with Hungary to block Sweden's path.
Diplomacy requires, Mr. Blinken will make a brief stop on Saturday in Greece, which is concerned about this sale of fighter jets to Ankara, its historic opponent.