Prime Minister Netanyahu expected to meet with Abbas to discuss extension of ceasefire
Attend COP28 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on the 30th
Local media, including CBS News, reported on the 27th (local time) that a senior U.S. State Department official said that U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken plans to visit the Middle East this week to explore the possibility of extending the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
An anonymous U.S. official said Secretary of State Blinken attended a Ukraine-related meeting attended by foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) held in Brussels, Belgium, and Skopje, North Macedonia, on the 28th and 29th. It was reported that they plan to visit Israel and the West Bank of the Jordan River.
Secretary of State Blinken plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war cabinet members in Israel to discuss the current situation in the Gaza Strip and discuss extending the ceasefire.
Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas agreed to extend the temporary ceasefire by two days until the morning of the 30th, AFP reported.
According to the previous agreement, Hamas will release 20 Israeli hostages over two days, and Israel will sequentially release 30 Palestinian prisoners.
A U.S. official said, “Secretary Blinken will emphasize maintaining expanded humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip (from Israel), releasing all hostages, and improving protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
The U.S. official added that they plan to discuss the need to establish an independent Palestinian state as a long-term solution for peace and security between Israel and Palestine in preparation for Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas.
Following Israel, Secretary Blinken plans to visit Ramallah on the West Bank and hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Secretary Blinken and U.S. officials have said the Palestinian Authority should play a major role in governing the Gaza Strip after the conflict ends.
He will move to Dubai, United Arab Emirates on the 30th to attend the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This is Secretary Blinken’s fourth visit to Israel since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. He waged a diplomatic campaign by making successive visits to the Middle East to prevent the spread of conflict in the Gaza Strip, expand humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, release hostages, and allow foreigners and dual nationals to escape from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.