US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Near East to meet with Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials amid violence flaring in the West Bank and in Jerusalem.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th January, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Near East to meet with Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials amid violence flaring in the West Bank and in Jerusalem.
Earlier this week, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said Blinken will begin his visit in Cairo on Sunday. Blinken will meet with President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss bilateral matters and to work with Egypt to promote peace and security in the region.
Egypt helped broker a cease-fire to end fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza in August 2022.
Blinken will then travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
In Israel, Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and other senior leaders to discuss the enduring US support for Israel's security, particularly against threats from Iran. However, Blinken will also touch on urgent matters between Israel and the Palestinians, the Biden administration's commitment to a two-state negotiated solution, and equal measures of prosperity, freedom and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, Leaf said.
In Ramallah, Blinken will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior officials to also underline the Biden administration's commitment to a two-state solution, as well as to discuss strengthening US-Palestinian relations and further bolstering Palestine's economy, Leaf said.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Blinken will urge both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take steps to deescalate tensions. Blinken will also discuss the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Leaf said.
On Thursday, Leaf said the Palestinian Authority's decision to suspend security coordination with Israel following a deadly Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin is "not the right step." US officials will continue to talk to the Palestinian Authority and to Israeli officials throughout the coming days, Leaf added.
CIA Director Bill Burns is reportedly in Israel for talks with senior security chiefs just days before Blinken's arrival.
On Thursday, nine Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured as a result of an Israeli raid in the city of Jenin in the West Bank. Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh called the raid a "massacre," while President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning. The Israeli army said it had neutralized three Palestinian militants in Jenin, suspected of preparing major terrorist attacks.
On Friday, Israeli police confirmed at least seven Israelis were killed in a suspected terrorist shooting attack in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood in Jerusalem.
The Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the gunman is Fadi Ayash, a resident of the Jerusalem Shuafat refugee camp. The report claims that Ayash was member of a group called the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
