Secretary of State Antony Blinken stood shoulder to shoulder with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the pair met for talks at the central command of the IDF as the Jewish state continues its assault on Hamas in the wake of the recent unprecedented attacks.
‘We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,’ Blinken told Netanyahu as the two shook hands. The secretary also said that he was sorry to be seeing the Israeli premier in such circumstances. ‘Thank you tremendously,’ Netanyahu responded.
Blinken is being joined on his mission of peace by his Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Sullivan, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen.
The meeting comes as Israel continues to bombard the Hamas stronghold Gaza as part of the country’s counteroffensive, which could extend to a ground assault as troops mobilize across Israel. The death toll among American citizens in the country stands at 25.
Blinken touched down in Tel Aviv just after 3am Eastern time, 10am local time. He was greeted on the tarmac by government officials who offered him a warm embrace. Less than 24 hours prior to his arrival, the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald Ford, arrived in the region.
On Friday, Blinken will also sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
‘We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,’ Blinken told Netanyahu as the two shook hands
Subsequent pictures broadcast in Israel showed Blinken sitting across from Netanyahu alongside teams of aides
Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of his mission of diplomacy in the country as Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas continues
Prior to leaving the US, Blinken said his simple message was that ‘the United States has Israel’s back.’ In addition to discussions with Netanyahu, he will also meet with members of his senior cabinet as well as President Isaac Herzog.
He was greeted at Ben Gurion International Airport by Foreign Minister of Israel Eli Cohen, along with two other officials from the department, Michael Herzog, the US ambassador to the country and Stephanie Hallett, the head of the US diplomatic mission to Israel.
The secretary will head to Jordan after conducting his meetings in Israel to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The secretary of state became the most senior US official to visit the country since Saturday’s Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.
The death toll in Gaza has also nearly reached 1,200 the Palestinian Ministry of Health said last night after four days of relentless Israeli air raids on the Hamas-controlled territory.
But Blinken insisted he would not try to restrain the Israeli counter-attack ahead of a widely expected invasion of the heavily populated enclave.
‘We know that Israel will take all of the precautions that it can, just as we would, and again that’s what separates us from Hamas and terrorist groups that engage in the most heinous kind of activities,’ he told reporters as he left.
The secretary of state will offer further military support when he meets Netanyahu after a second US carrier group was ordered the region.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of his mission of diplomacy in the country
Prior to leaving the US, Blinken said his simple message was that ‘the United States has Israel’s back’
Blinken’s visit was met with intense security as the bloody conflict rages on
But he will also be trying to stop the conflict spreading after Israeli forces again exchanged artillery fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants across the Lebanese border to the north.
‘We will be reiterating the very strong message that President Biden has delivered to any country or any party that might try to take advantage of this situation, and that message is don’t.’
‘The United States has Israel’s back.
‘We have their back today, we will have it tomorrow, and we will have it every day. And we will always stand resolutely against terrorism.
‘Not since Isis have we seen this kind of depravity and we will continue to stand resolutely against it.
‘Already significant military assistance requested by Israel is on its way, that’s on top of everything we’ve been doing for years.
‘There’ll be further requests and we’ve already been working closely with Congress on this and we look forward to continuing to do that so Israel has what it needs.
America’s top diplomat has already been working the phones in a bid to apply pressure on Hamas to release around 150 hostages it took from Israel in its deadly cross-border raid.
He has spoken to leaders in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and is expected to visit at least some on his trip to the Middle East.
But critics claimed the unforeseen attack is a symptom of years of neglect in the region which has left the US playing catch-up.
‘The attack by Hamas is a reminder of the perception of an American absence or lack of commitment to the region that some actors might interpret and do things they should not be doing,’ said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute.
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