US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a tour of the Middle East on Thursday. At the end of his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Blinken said, referring to the war in the Gaza Strip: "Israel is working with the countries of the region. Creating a path to a Palestinian state is the best way to isolate Iran." He added that "the United States is focused on ensuring that the West Bank does not 'explode.'"
Secretary of State Antony Blinken before taking off from Cairo, photo: Reuters
During his visit to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Blinken said in a statement to the media: "We want the war to end as soon as possible, but we support Israel in achieving its goals. Palestinian citizens must be allowed to return to their homes, and residents must be allowed to return to northern Gaza," he added, adding that "the United States opposes calls to expel Palestinian citizens from Gaza, residents must not be pressured to leave Gaza – Netanyahu promised that this is not the policy."
Blinken asked the IDF to act to protect civilian infrastructure and ensure that humanitarian aid across Gaza is distributed to those who need it: "Today, only about 40 percent of Gazans receive the aid, many more goods must be brought in." In his remarks at the cabinet meeting, he reiterated the need to ensure a possible and stable peace in order to ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state in the future.
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