US NSA travels to Egypt amid escalating regional crisis, to visit Israel later

US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will land in Egypt's Cairo later on Wednesday to hold talks with Egyptian government officials over rising tensions in the region. The conflict between the State of Israel and Hamas has escalated in recent weeks with both the warring sides firing projectiles and conducting armed attacks on each other. Washington relies heavily on Egypt which has, for decades, played a mediator between the two and also helped end the recent 11-day war by brokering a peace pact.

Speaking about his visit to the reporters, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said that NSA Sullivan will discuss Egypt’s role in “promoting security and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians following the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet to Egypt earlier this month.” During his trip, Sullivan is also scheduled to hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Eyal Hulata, Times of Israel reported. The talks will also encompass “a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group” which aims to counter the Iranian Nuclear Programme. 

Israel- Hamas war

On May 10, Gaza based terror outfit Hamas fired its first projectile onto Israel, starting 11 days of obliterating aerials exchanges between the warring sides. As the conflict turned bloodier and the international call for peace gained momentum, a truce was signed. The war claimed over 200 lives, including women and children on both sides.

However, experts deem the pact to be short-lived as both Israel and Hamas continue to claim victory against each other and attack each other's territories. It is imperative to note that quasi-democratic group Hamas and the State of Israel have fought four bitter wars in just over a decade and each of them has ended inconclusively. 

Palestinian conflict

Following the six-day war in 1967, Israelis occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights and much of the Sinai Peninsula. Subsequently, the Jews commenced the construction of settlements. However, Palestinians objected to it and since then both the communities have been trading barbs over the occupied land.

During his tenure, US President Donald Trump promised the then Israeli PM and his close ally Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building in settlements across the West Bank, so long as the construction did not expand beyond communities’ “existing footprints.”

(Image: AP)