US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken continues his Middle Eastern tour on Monday, visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia before heading to Israel. Blinken’s previous stops led him, respectively, to Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, and Qatar. At all points, the American minister warned of the danger of the war between Hamas and Israel expanding into a regional conflict. This is Blinken’s fourth tour in the Middle East since the start of the war between the Palestinian movement and Tel Aviv three months ago.
Published on: 01/08/2024 – 02:54
3 minutes
Visit US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Monday, UAE and Saudi Arabia, before heading to Tel Aviv. These visits are part of the US Secretary’s Middle Eastern tour, his fourth in the region since the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel on October 7th. Blinken’s tour focuses on working to prevent the war from expanding into a regional conflict, releasing hostages, and emphasizing the American position rejecting the displacement of the residents of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Blinken arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and will then travel to Saudi Arabia, where he is scheduled to hold a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the historic city of Al-Ula, according to what a US official said, requesting anonymity.
The head of US diplomacy visited Jordan and Qatar on Sunday at the beginning of a five-day diplomatic tour in the Middle East aimed at preventing the expansion of the war in the region. He is scheduled to visit the West Bank and Egypt this week.
“This is a time of deep tension in the region,” he said at a press conference in Doha before heading to Abu Dhabi. “This is a conflict that could easily spread and cause more instability and suffering.”
He added that he would inform Israeli officials when he visited Israel of the need to make more efforts to prevent civilian deaths and injuries in Gaza.
He added that Palestinian civilians must be allowed to return to their homes and must not be pressured to leave the Strip.
The war between Israel and Hamas entered its fourth month on Sunday without any signs of a decline in its intensity, with the Israeli army launching deadly air strikes on the Gaza Strip, while Blinken seeks to avoid the war spreading to other fronts.
Israel pledged to “eliminate” Hamas after Hamas attacked it on October 7. Israeli officials say the Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. It is believed that more than 100 hostages are still being held by the movement.
In Gaza, intense bombing and Israeli military operations have killed 22,835 Palestinians so far, according to the local Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
A US State Department official said that Blinken will use his tour in the Middle East to put pressure on hesitant Islamic countries in the region so that they prepare to play a role in the reconstruction, governance and security of Gaza, after Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas, if it achieves it.
France 24/AFP/Reuters
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2024-01-08 01:54:11
