US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv to hold talks with Israeli officials regarding the Gaza war, his fifth visit since the war began on October 7.
The visit comes as part of a tour in the region that has so far included Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Blinken had said before his arrival that he would convey to Israeli officials what he heard from the leaders of the countries he visited, and that he would speak with Israeli leaders about the future direction of their military campaign in Gaza and about his vision for the future of the region and Israel.
The American minister said that he found the leaders of the region in the countries he visited determined to prevent the expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Before leaving Saudi Arabia, he added that everyone he spoke to understood the magnitude of the challenges and no one believed that anything would happen overnight.
In return, Israeli officials said they would inform Blinken that the Palestinians would not return to northern Gaza unless Hamas released more hostages.
NBC quoted a senior American official as saying that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would inform Israel of the need to end the military campaign as soon as possible. The American official added that Blinken will ask Israel to resort to focused military operations to reduce civilian casualties.
Choose between two methods
On the other hand, CNN quoted a Biden administration official as saying that Netanyahu will have to choose between the Ben Gvir and Smotrich method of governance or a method that satisfies Washington.
The Israeli Ministers of National Security and Finance, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, announced a few days ago their support for what they described as “the voluntary displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.”
According to Israeli media, the US Secretary of State is scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and later with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the War Council.
She added that Blinken may also meet with the families of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip, while he will meet with opposition leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday morning.
According to Anatolia Agency, since the beginning of the war, Washington has provided Tel Aviv with the strongest possible military, intelligence and diplomatic support, and critics consider the United States a partner in what they say are Israeli war crimes in Gaza, but the statements of some of its officials indicate its opposition to the issue of forced displacement of Palestinians.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which as of Sunday left 22,835 dead and 58,416 wounded, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to official Palestinian and UN sources.
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2024-01-09 03:38:49
