U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel to discuss the “way forward” in the war in Gaza. He is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after touring Israel’s Arab neighbors. Prior to the meeting, Blinken spoke alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog and said he would share the insights he gained from his day of meetings with regional countries. This includes meeting the war cabinet formed in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks by Palestinian Hamas terrorists that resulted in 1,200 deaths. In response, Israel initiated an air and ground assault on the enclave of Gaza which has led to more than 23,000 Palestinian casualties, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Mr. Blinken, who has visited Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey and Greece since Saturday, stated that there is much to discuss, particularly about the way forward. He has been working to calm regional tensions and has also been discussing plans for the future governance of Gaza, which could involve Israel’s Muslim-majority neighbors. Before his visit, Blinken said that regional states want integration with Israel as long as there are practical plans to normalize relations that include a “practical pathway” to a future Palestinian state.
During the visit, Blinken is also expected to meet with families of hostages taken by Hamas terrorists and discuss efforts to bring them back. A group of about fifty protesters gathered outside the hotel where Blinken was having meetings calling for a ceasefire to secure the release of hostages. Israel claims that of the approximately 240 people seized on Oct. 7, 132 are still being held in Gaza and 25 of them have died in captivity.
Additionally, Israeli President Herzog thanked the U.S. for its support and criticized South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which the United States has called unhelpful. The U.S. also stated that it has not seen acts of genocide in Gaza. The article was written by Simon Lewis and Dan Williams.