US Secretary of State heads to Middle East following Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire

Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, heads to the Middle East on Monday following an early Friday cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. It is the first trip of Blinken to the region as the top American diplomat. Furthermore, the secretary of state will meet with Palestinian, Israeli, and regional counterparts as part of American’s efforts to build on the Gaza cease-fire.

Leaving today for Jerusalem. Even as we were working with the parties and partners to help reach a ceasefire, we were also focused on the road ahead, including steps we could take to build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/GQbg5AwkUS

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 24, 2021

Blinken will hold conversations with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, and other officials in Jerusalem and meet in Ramallah with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and other senior officials. Joe Biden, the President of the U.S., stated on Monday that Blinken would meet with Israeli officials about American ironclad commitment to the security of Israel and will continue the country’s efforts to restore ties to, and support for, the people and leaders of Palestine, after years of neglect.

Biden said America would work with regional partners to certify instant assistance reaches Gaza in a way that benefits the local residents there and not Hamas. Moreover, on Sunday, Blinken told CNN that the U.S. focus right now persistently is on dealing with the humanitarian situation, starting to do rebuild and reconstruction, and engage intensely with Israelis, with Palestinians, with partners in the region. Blinken will meet with Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the Egyptian President, and Sameh Shoukry, the Foreign Minister of Egypt.

Everyone Welcomed the Israeli-Palestinian Cease-fire

Egyptian mediators have been traveling across the border at Gaza and met with Abbas in an effort to maintain the truce. Blinken will complete his trip with a stop in Amman to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi, the State Department said.

At the UN, members of the Security Council welcomed the truce between Hamas and Israel, renewing a call to achieve a wide-ranging peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states Palestine and Israel, live side by side in peace with recognized and secure borders in a statement over the weekend.

According to some experts, a truce will not address the long-term issue that prevented a resolution to the decades-long conflict. Former Egyptian diplomat Ambassador Hesham Youssef wrote that America must clarify its position on what a practical, adjoining, and sovereign Palestinian state would look like and outline what activities it considers detrimental to the prospect of a two-state solution.

Hope to Live in Security and Dignity

Blinken said on Sunday that the U.S. believes it is time for a settlement that grants equivalent measures of rights for the Palestinians and Israelis with the immediate cease-fire. Blinken told “This Week,” a show of ABC News, that the people of Palestine need to feel hope to live in dignity and security in a Palestinian state. The secretary of state said American President Biden remains committed to a two-state solution, with a separate state of Palestine. However, acknowledged it was not essentially something for today.

Blinken blamed Hamas leaders for the recent conflict by saying that Hamas brought nothing but ruin and devastation to the Palestinian people. In addition, the Biden government said a two-state solution is the only response to resolving the clash between the two countries. On Friday, Biden said during the joint press conference during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that let’s get something straight here: Until the area says, clearly, they acknowledged the right of Israel to happen as an independent Israelian state, there will be no place.

The American president also says that it is compulsory to ensure the security of Palestinian people in the West Bank and help the residents of Gaza.  Washington says that it will work with the Palestinian Authority to reconstruct Gaza but not with Hamas, the so-called militant group) and in a way that will not allow the Hamas group to re-arm. After the missile strikes of Israel on Palestinian civilians, in a retaliate attack, Hamas fired rockets on Israel’s cities from Gaza. Israeli brutal attacks caused extensive civilian casualties and destructions on a wider scale. As a result, Israel faced international condemnation at a wider scale for its brutality and violence.

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