US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel, the first country he visits on his journey through the Middle East. Following this, he will meet with Palestinian President Abbas and visit Egypt and Jordan. The main goal is to strengthen the ceasefire of Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Immediately upon arrival, Blinken had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. In the press conference afterwards, he underlined the US position that Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks from Hamas.
He also said the US will work with other countries to provide humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip and to rebuild the area. Hamas, the movement that wields power in the Gaza Strip, should not take advantage of it, he said. Furthermore, the US wants to provide economic support to the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The US and also the EU regard Hamas as a terrorist organization and therefore do not negotiate with Hamas leaders.
Iran
Another important topic during Blink’s tour is Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel opposes the reinstatement of the nuclear deal with Iran because it would allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Israel reserves the right to prevent that, Netanyahu said.
President Trump got out of the nuclear accord of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany with Iran. Biden wants to revive the Iran deal under conditions. This is being negotiated in Vienna. Observers say those negotiations are going well.
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