Tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated before Blinker’s visit
2023.01.26 14:10
Tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated before Blinker’s visit
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – Following a fatal Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, a U.S. official stated that Washington is concerned that the security situation between Israelis and Palestinians could get worse before Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East on Sunday.
In the midst of escalating tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, the top U.S. diplomat will travel to Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank.
Palestinian officials claim that Israeli commandos killed seven gunmen and two civilians in the occupied West Bank, the largest single death toll in years of fighting. The announcement of the visit came just hours later.
The reported civilian deaths were “quite regrettable,” according to Barbara Leaf, the top Middle East official at the U.S. State Department.
On a telephone briefing, Leaf told reporters, “And then obviously there is the potential for things to worsen in terms of security,” adding that she had spoken to U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides and Israeli and Palestinian officials multiple times on Thursday morning.
Leaf stated that despite the Palestinian Authority’s announcement that it would no longer cooperate with Israel following the raid, the United States was urging de-escalation and coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces.
This is Blinken’s first trip since Netanyahu’s right-wing government won elections in November, which caused concern at home and abroad due to the hard-line views of some coalition members and their opposition to Palestinian statehood.
The State Department stated in its announcement of Blinken’s visit that, among other topics, Blinken will discuss the significance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
In a statement, department spokesperson Ned Price stated that Blinken would also discuss the significance of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif, where the recent visit of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the new far-right security minister, sparked outrage among Palestinians. The compound, which is also revered by Jews, is only permitted for Muslim worship under the decades-old status quo.
Blinken’s trip follows Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, who went to Israel last week to talk about the war in Ukraine and worries about Iran’s support for Russia’s invasion with drones provided by U.S. regional adversaries.
Israel has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has only provided humanitarian aid and protective gear to Kiev.
According to Price, Blinken will meet with Egyptian officials and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo to bolster the strategic partnership between the two nations and their shared support for elections in Libya and talks to form a civilian government in Sudan following a military coup in 2021.
