Blinken’s trip, which includes a stop in Jordan, is his second to the Middle East in less than a month.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials and receive an update on Israel’s military objectives and its plans to achieve those goals.
“He will reiterate U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law, and discuss the need to take all precautions to minimize civilian casualties, as well as our work to deliver humanitarian assistance,” Miller told reporters. headtopics.com
Israel sent ground forces into Hamas-ruled Gaza late last week after weeks of air and artillery strikes to retaliate for the surprise Hamas attack in which Israel says 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 240 were taken hostage.
The Gaza health ministry says at least 8,796 Palestinians in the narrow coastal enclave, including 3,648 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since Oct. 7. Blinken, who as secretary of state is President Joe Biden’s top diplomat, will also discuss options on who will run the densely populated enclave if and when Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian militant group, is defeated. headtopics.com
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that Washington did not believe Hamas could be involved in governing Gaza when the war is over. In Jordan, Blinken will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives and reiterate a U.S. commitment to ensure Palestinians are not forcibly displaced out of Gaza, a growing concern of the Arab world, Miller said.
Blinken Heads to Israel, Jordan as Gaza war and Criticism of it IntensifiesSecretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan this week as Israel’s war in Gaza and international criticism of it intensify, the State Department said Wednesday.Blinken will depart Washington on Thursday and will be in Israel and Jordan on Friday and… Read more ⮕