Blinken will travel to Middle East 'in coming days' to meet Israel & Palestine leaders

As Israel-Palestine came into effect on May 21, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday that he would visit the Middle East in the upcoming days and arrange meetings with the leadership of both Israel and Palestine. Taking to Twitter, Blinken said that he spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and welcomed the confirmation from both sides to end violence in Gaza and West Bank. US Secretary of State said that he is “looking forward” to meeting with regional leaders, foreign ministers and other influential persons in Israel and Palestine.

Separately, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs also confirmed on Twitter that he spoke with Blinken with the US Secretary of State expressing his intent to travel to the Middle Eastern region following the nearly two-week-long violence. Ashkenazi said that Blinken “informed me that he intends to visit the region soon. I welcomed his decision & told him that we would welcome him warmly & that I look forward to continuing our discussions on advancing regional strategic issues for maintaining Israel's security & regional stability.” Israeli FM also thanked the United States for “uncompromising support for Israel” and the right to defend its citizens amid conflict. 

As per the US State Department’s readout of the Blinken-Ashkenazi call, “The Secretary welcomed the Foreign Minister’s confirmation that the parties had agreed to a ceasefire. Both leaders expressed their appreciation for Egypt’s mediation efforts, and the Secretary noted that he would continue to remain in close touch with his Egyptian counterpart and other regional stakeholders.”

“The Foreign Minister welcomed Secretary Blinken’s planned travel to the region, where the Secretary will meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and regional counterparts in the coming days to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build better futures for Israelis and Palestinian,” he added.

Hamas Claims Victory In Conflict With Israel

Meanwhile, a senior figure among Palestinian militants ruling Gaza, Hamas claimed victory in the conflict with Israel on May 21 in a speech to thousands of people who were celebrating the ceasefire that came into effect. As per reports, the second most senior member of the Islamist movement’s political bureau in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya said, “This is the euphoria of victory” while pledging to reconstruct the homes that were destroyed by Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes.

The Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire was brokered by Egypt and it included Gaza's second-most powerful armed group, Islamic Jihad. Both sides agreed on May 20 evening and it came into effect on Friday after the global pressure on Isreal and Palestine mounted for ending the violence and spare civilians from the bloodshed.

IMAGE: AP