The U.S Secretary of State, who is on a visit to Israel, has stressed once again the country’s right to defend itself while also urging it to do “everything” to ensure the protection of civilians.
Antony Blinken’s visit comes amid increasing concerns over the sheer number of civilians who have been killed in Gaza by Israeli air raids.
Prior to his departure for Tel Aviv, Blinken said that he would seek “concrete measures” from Israel to ensure that harm to Palestinian civilians is reduced, even as the U.S resists calls for a ceasefire.
According to White House National Security Spokesman, John Kirby, the U.S is not advocating for a general ceasefire but a “temporary, localized” pause.
Blinken spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for almost an hour at the headquarters of Israel’s defence ministry in Tel Aviv before both met members of Israel’s emergency cabinet, formed after the Hamas assault.
Speaking before meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken remarked, “We stand strong for the proposition that Israel has not only the right, but the obligation to defend itself to make everything possible to make sure that October 7 can never happen again.”
Antony Blinken made this comment while standing alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“How Israel does this matters and it’s very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians, who are caught in the crossfire that Hamas is making, that everything is done to protect them and to bring assistance to those who so desperately need it, who are not in any way responsible for what happened on October 7.”
Antony Blinken
This is Blinken’s third trip to Israel since the war began and he also plans to visit Amman, Jordan. It follows President Joe Biden’s suggestion for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting.
Herzog Expresses Gratitude To Blinken
Herzog thanked Blinken for his “moral clarity.”
He acknowledged protesters, who could be heard faintly in the background, demanding action to release hostages held by Hamas and said: “Our heart goes out to them. We understand it. We want their immediate release.”
Blinken and Herzog also said that they “are thinking every single moment of our hostages – so many Israelis, Americans, other foreign nationals.”
“We are determined to do everything we can to bring them back safely, to bring them back to be with their families and loved ones,” Blinken said.
Herzog sought to emphasize the claim that Israel is following international humanitarian law by showing Blinken a leaflet, 1.2 million of which he said had been sent to citizens of Gaza.
“We’ve carried out six million text messages and four million phone calls to the citizens of Gaza according to the rules of international law, where we alerted the citizens in advance, including before the Jabalia attack,” he said.
Meanwhile, a number of foreigners were able to enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing on Friday.
Hundreds of foreign passport holders and gravely injured Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza via the Rafah crossing to Egypt since Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
Seven Italians and three Palestinian relatives crossed into Egypt from the Gaza Strip and are “all in good health”, the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said.
Friday’s transit through Rafah brings to 17 the number of Italian citizens, Italo-Palestinian dual nationals and Palestinian family members who have been evacuated so far, an Italian foreign ministry statement revealed.
Also, Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, put out a statement confirming that Nadia’s parents were evacuated from Gaza on Friday after being trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory since Hamas militants attacked Israel last month.
“We are grateful to all of those who have assisted our parents over the last few weeks, including the FCDO crisis team,” they noted in the statement.
The statement revealed that these last four weeks have been a living nightmare for the family.
“We are so thankful for all of the messages of comfort and prayers that we have received from across the world, and indeed from across the political spectrum in Scotland and the UK,” it added.
“We reiterate our calls for all sides to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the opening of a humanitarian corridor so that significant amounts of aid, including fuel, can flow through to a population that have suffered collective punishment for far too long, and for all hostages to be released,” the statement noted.
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