Antony Blinken to visit Israel for the Second Time
7:49 AM EDT, November 1, 2023
The Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to travel to Israel on Friday, November 3. This will mark his second visit to the country since the war between Israel and Palestine erupted in October.
Blinken made his first visit to Israel on October 12, five days after the conflict sparked by an attack from Hamas. As reported by "Times of Israel", Blinken had an intensive eight-hour meeting with the war cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Details on Blinken's upcoming visit to Israel
Blinken's trip to Israel was the starting point of a Middle East tour, during which he also visited several other countries including Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. During this trip, he attempted to form a coalition against Hamas.
Simultaneously, Blinken worked to coordinate the efforts of American allies to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and secure the release of prisoners.
According to "Times of Israel", Blinken's previous trip was deemed successful. However, the consistent support from the U.S. for Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip did not sit well with the Arab nations.
The Israeli news service further highlighted that American diplomacy played a significant role in pressuring Israel and Egypt, which recently agreed to allow transit of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.