US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pledged to do his utmost to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to Israeli aggression since last October 7.
Blinken said, in statements to reporters after the conclusion of his visit to Saudi Arabia, “I am heading to Israel and will speak to them about the future of the military operation in Gaza.”
The American minister stressed that the West Bank and Gaza Strip must be united under Palestinian leadership, saying, “We want to see the establishment of a Palestinian state in the future. These matters will not be easy, there are difficulties, but we agreed to work together and coordinate our efforts to stabilize Gaza and chart a path.” for the Palestinians in the long term.
Blinken added that he found the leaders of the region in the countries he visited determined to prevent the expansion of the conflict between Israel and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas in Gaza, pointing out that everyone he spoke to understood the magnitude of the challenges and no one believed that anything would happen overnight.
Future path
Blinken continued, “I will talk about our vision for the future and I am confident that there is a future path that will bring peace and security to Israel, and I will stress to Israel the necessity of making more efforts to protect civilians,” indicating that he will inform Israeli leaders of what he heard during his tour in the region.
Blinken’s statements came at the conclusion of his visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where they discussed developments in events in and around Gaza and ceasefire efforts.
The Saudi Crown Prince stressed the importance of stopping military operations, intensifying further efforts at the humanitarian level, and working to create conditions for the return of stability and the restoration of the path of peace to ensure that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and achieve just and lasting peace.
Prior to the US Secretary of State’s discussions in Israel, an American official said that Blinken would inform Israeli officials of the need to end the military campaign in Gaza as soon as possible, and stressed that Netanyahu must choose between the way the Ministers of Finance and National Security in Israel, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, rule or the way they govern. Please Washington.
NBC quoted a senior American official as saying that Blinken will ask Israel to resort to focused military operations to reduce civilian casualties.
Blinken’s tour to the region is his fourth since last October 7, and has so far included visits to Turkey, Greece, Qatar, the Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.