US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will once again visit Israel and the West Bank by the end of the week, as well as Dubai, a senior State Department official told reporters on Monday. This will be the third visit by the head of American diplomacy to the Middle East since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
Advocate for the creation of a Palestinian state
“During his meetings in the Middle East, he will emphasize the need to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, ensure the release of all hostages and improve the protection of civilians in Gaza,” the minister said. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Antony Blinken will also once again plead for the creation of an independent Palestinian state as the only long-term solution and will discuss efforts to “contain the conflict”, according to the same source.
Antony Blinken, who began a tour of Europe on Monday, is due to go to Tel Aviv to meet Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the senior official. No specific date was cited, but Antony Blinken’s trip to Israel should take place on Thursday after having participated on Tuesday and Wednesday in a NATO meeting in Brussels and on Wednesday in a meeting of the Organization for Security and Protection. Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, the Macedonian capital.
Shortly after the start of the war triggered by the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, Antony Blinken made a marathon tour in the region, shuttling several times between Israel and Jordan in particular and visiting several other countries. Arabs. He made another trip at the beginning of the month to the region, going for the first time since the start of the conflict on this occasion to Ramallah. On Friday, he will travel to Dubai to continue discussions with a view to avoiding any escalation of the conflict, the American official said. Many officials will be present there for the start of the COP28 climate summit.