The arrival of the U.S. secretary of state is part of a diplomatic tour to show support for Israel following deadly attacks by Hamas militants. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday in the first leg of a diplomatic tour in the Middle East to show support with Israel following deadly attacks by Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip.
Blinken’s arrival also comes as a humanitarian crisis is beginning to unfold in Gaza. And the diplomatic push is taking place as Israel and Gaza experience the most dramatic escalation in violence in recent memory, with concerns the chaos could spread to the occupied West Bank and different countries across the Middle East.
Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. On Wednesday, Netanyahu announced the formation of a wartime unity government that includes opposition leader and former army commander Benny Gantz.
Blinken also will try to secure the freedom of hostages kidnapped by Hamas from last weekend’s incursion into Israel. There are an estimated 150 people being held hostage by Hamas, including an unknown number of Americans.
Later Thursday, Blinken will travel to Amman to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Blinken will then meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman on Friday. There, Blinken will urge Abbas to condemn the violence. Such a declaration would put Abbas in a difficult position, a senior U.S. official said, but Blinken will tell the Palestinian leader that it is important to distinguish himself from Hamas, an organization that the U.S. and Israel have declared a terrorist organization. Palestinian Authority officials have privately told American leaders that they are horrified at the violence against Israeli civilians, the U.S. official said.
The current fighting began with a surprise attack by Palestinian fighters from Gaza into Israel last weekend during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Militants infiltrated Israel’s border last Saturday using paragliders, motorbikes and boats and fired thousands of rockets toward the country from Gaza.
