Antony Blinken to travel to Israel, West Bank in week-long Gaza diplomacy push
- US secretary of state will also visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for a week of diplomacy on Israel’s war in Gaza
- Blinken will discuss steps parties in the region can take to prevent the conflict from expanding, amid concerns the conflict is spreading beyond Gaza
Top US top diplomat Antony Blinken will depart on Thursday for a week of diplomacy on Israel’s war in Gaza, visiting Israel and the West Bank, as well as Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the next week, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
The visit comes amid heightened concerns the nearly three-month-old conflict is spreading beyond Gaza, drawing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hezbollah forces on the Lebanon-Israel border, and Red Sea shipping lanes.
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Blinken will discuss specific steps parties in the region can take to prevent the conflict from expanding, Miller said at a regular press briefing.
“It is in no one’s interest – not Israel’s, not the region’s, not the world’s – for this conflict to spread beyond Gaza,” Miller said.
Blinken would also discuss immediate measures to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and efforts to bring home remaining hostages taken by Hamas, Miller added.
