Blinken Arrives in Israel as Part of U.S. Efforts to Push for Ceasefire in Gaza
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel today, Sunday, as part of intense diplomatic efforts by Washington to negotiate a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, aimed at ending the ongoing Israeli war that has lasted for 10 months.
Blinken’s visit, which marks his tenth to the region since the war began last October, comes days after the United States proposed solutions to the crisis in Gaza, which both Washington and mediators Qatar and Egypt believe will effectively bridge the gaps between the warring parties.
U.S. officials have expressed renewed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement, but they have warned that much work still needs to be done to achieve that.
Blinken is scheduled to meet in Israel with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, according to Reuters reports.
Negotiations are taking place amid concerns of regional escalation, as Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, in Tehran on July 31. Washington has warned Iran against proceeding with any retaliatory actions against Israel, noting that such actions could have “catastrophic” consequences, especially for Iran itself.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy expressed their support for the ongoing negotiations regarding a ceasefire and urged all parties to avoid any “escalatory actions.”
Discussions on how to implement the agreement are expected to continue this week, before senior officials reconvene in Cairo with the goal of finalizing the agreement later this week.
The Israeli negotiating team expressed “cautious optimism” about the possibility of reaching an agreement, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office released on Saturday.
