U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend in his first trip to the Middle East this year.
Blinken’s visit is focused on the escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence, U.S. concerns over the direction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government and ongoing issues with Egypt’s human rights record.
The State Department announced that Blinken would leave Washington on Saturday, January 28, 2023 for stops in Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The announcement came just hours after an Israeli raid on suspected terrorists in the West Bank city of Jenin that Palestinian officials say killed at least nine people in the deadliest of such incident this year.
After visiting Cairo for dialogue with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Blinken will go to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday to see Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the State department revealed.
“With both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the secretary will underscore the urgent need for the parties to take steps to deescalate tensions in order to put an end to the cycle of violence that has claimed too many innocent lives.”
Ned Price, Spokesman for US State department
The U.S Secretary of state will also “discuss the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in words and in actions,” Price added.
Blinken is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and other senior officials, as well as with Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, during his visit.
After the raid on a suspected terrorist hideout, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, directed forces in the occupied West Bank and on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip to go on heightened alert.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have soared since Israel launched the nightly raids in the West Bank last spring, following a wave of Palestinian attacks.
The conflict has only intensified this month, as Netanyahu’s government came to office and pledged to take a hard line against the Palestinians.
Israel Does Not Seek An Escalation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel does not seek an escalation, after the deadly raid in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
After holding an assessment with top defense officials, Netanyahu praised the Israeli security forces involved in the operation targeting a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell allegedly planning imminent terror attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment via phone. The call included Defense Minister; Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister; Eli Cohen, National Security Minister; Itamar Ben Gvir, Strategic Affairs Minister; Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser; Tzachi Hanegbi, IDF chief Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet head; Ronen Bar, Israel Police Commissioner; Kobi Shabtai and other security officials.
“Netanyahu made it clear that Israel is not looking to escalate, but instructed the security forces to prepare for any scenario in the various arenas to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens,” his office revealed in a statement.
In a message to government Ministers, the Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that there are “no cities of refuge for terrorists.”
Meanwhile, The Palestinian Authority(PA) has announced that it will halt security coordination with Israel in response to the deadly Israel Defense Forces raid in Jenin this morning.
Deputy PA Prime Minister, Nabil Abu Rudeineh declared that “security coordination with the occupation government no longer exists as of now.”
Halting such coordination is a move that the Palestinians have tried in the past with little success.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority maintain security ties in a shared effort to contain Islamic terrorists.
A Palestinian official divulged that the PA also plans to file complaints with the UN Security Council, International Criminal Court and other international bodies.
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