US Secretary Antony Blinken to travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East from May 24 to May 27, 2021, to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. While taking to Twitter, Blinken said that he is undertaking the trip at the request of President Joe Biden and will travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman to meet with other regional leaders. He also added that the US has engaged in intensive diplomacy to bring an end to the hostilities in Gaza and his trip to the region is in a bid to discuss essential follow-up efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce risks of further conflict over the coming months.

According to a press release, Blinken will first travel to Jerusalem, where he will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and other senior Israeli officials. In Ramallah, the US Secretary of State will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, and other senior officials from the Palestinian Authority. He will then travel to Cairo to meet President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

“The Secretary will conclude his trip with a stop in Amman to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi,” the press note read. 

Blinken reaffirms Biden's support for two-state solution 

Meanwhile, Blinken has affirmed Biden’s commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. He has said that the two-state solution is the “only way” to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, and of course, the only way to give Palestinians the state to which they’re “entitled”. Blinken told ABC News that without solutions that afforded Palestinians more dignity, the cycle of violence was likely to continue.

Further, he said that the most important objective was rebuilding the massive structural damage in Gaza and solving the resulting humanitarian crisis. He said that the reconstruction, rebuilding of what’s been lost, engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements in the lives of people so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of security, peace and of dignity, has to “start now”. He added that is “vitally important” that Palestinians feel hope and have the opportunity and can live in security just as it for Israelis. “There should be equal measures,” he said. 

Image: AP