US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel this evening as part of his mediation trip to the Middle East. He had already spoken in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Portal/Evelyn Hockstein
Tomorrow he will meet, among others, his new Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in Tel Aviv. The talks will likely focus on how the war in Gaza can be prevented from spreading to other parts of the region – especially Lebanon. The question of what might happen next in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war must also be discussed.
“We want to work together and coordinate our efforts to help Gaza stabilize and recover, chart a political path forward for the Palestinians, and work toward long-term peace, security and stability,” Blinken said earlier in Saudi Arabia, according to the Times of Israel. reported.
US wants Israel to reduce its military presence
The US calls for better humanitarian care for people in the Gaza Strip and more consideration for the civilian population in the Israeli army's fight against Islamic Hamas. US President Joe Biden said in a campaign speech that he was working “discreetly” with the Israeli government and wanted Israel to significantly reduce its military presence in the Gaza Strip.
This is Blinken's fourth trip to the Middle East since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups. The stops on the trip, which was scheduled to last until Thursday, included not only Saudi Arabia and Israel, but also Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Egypt.