TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel, the first stop of his middle East tour, on the heels of the Israeli-Palestinian armed conflict, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said on Monday.
Ashkenazi met and greeted Blinken at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning.
"Welcome to [Israel] @SecBlinken. It's an honor to host you on your first official visit to Israel. Every visit by Sec of State is a special occasion, let alone when it is his first. Looking forward to our discussions on strengthening the US-IL relations & on regional developments," the Israeli minister said in a message posted on Twitter.
In a separate tweet, Ashkenazi thanked Blinken for the "United States' "firm support of Israel and its right to self-defense."
On Monday, Blinken announced that he would travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman in an effort to contribute to reducing tensions in the Middle East. Israel and Palestine's Gaza Strip were locked in a bitter conflict for 11 days that concluded with an Egypt-brokered ceasefire on May 20.
