Fourth Visit to Israel Before and After
Urging Cooperation with Moderate Factions in Palestine Reconstruction
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Israel and urged to prevent additional civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and to cooperate with moderate Palestinians in the post-war reconstruction of Gaza.
According to major foreign media on the 9th (local time), Secretary Blinken made these remarks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. This visit marks Blinken's fourth trip to Israel since the surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel in October last year.
He emphasized to Prime Minister Netanyahu the need to avoid further civilian casualties. He also called for cooperation with moderate Palestinian leaders to establish a permanent and sustainable peace plan in the region, including the construction of a Palestinian state.
Until now, Israel has insisted that Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders should be excluded from governing Gaza after the war, citing reasons that they are corrupt, incompetent, and hostile to Israel.
On the same day, Secretary Blinken also held successive meetings with members of Israel's wartime cabinet to broadly discuss measures to prevent the conflict from spreading. They also agreed on a UN-led assessment to facilitate the return of residents in northern Gaza.
He further emphasized that there is an opportunity to expand integration with regional countries in Israel after the war. Having met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia the previous day, Secretary Blinken stated that Saudi Arabia remains interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
However, despite these U.S. efforts, tensions in the Middle East appear to be escalating further.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Secretary Blinken on the same day that Israel intends to intensify operations in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza, until Hamas leadership is found and hostages are rescued. The Israeli military also announced that it eliminated Ali Hussein Burji, the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit, in southern Lebanon on the same day. This has increased the likelihood of heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Attacks targeting U.S. military bases in the Middle East are also continuing. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October last year, U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 127 times.
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