Antony Blinken meets Netanyahu and Israeli government leaders to find way out of Middle East war

US Secretary of State, Anthony BlinkenIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday asked to avoid further harm to civilians in Gaza, the State Department reported, in the framework of the fifth visit of the American diplomatic chief to the region since the outbreak of war.

“Secretary Reaffirmed our support for Israel’s right to prevent the recurrence of terrorist attacks On October 7 and published Importance of preventing further harm to civilians (…) in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

“The Secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting and sustainable peace for Israel and the region, through Creation of a Palestinian state” he added.

Blinken also discussed with Netanyahu “ongoing efforts to secure the release” of hostages in Gaza, currently more than 130 – of whom an estimated 24 are dead – and “wants to emphasize the importance of increasing the level of humanitarian assistance reaching civilians.” in Gaza.”

Before his meeting with the premier, Blinken held several meetings with government leaders.

“I’ve just come from some of the countries in the region, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and I want to share what I heard from those leaders,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting in Tel. Aviv with the president. Israel, Isaac Herzog.

Later, after meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel KatzBlinken assured that There are “real opportunities” for Israeli unification in the Middle EastBut what is necessary Overcome the “very difficult moment”, War rages in Gaza.

In turn, Israel’s defense minister told Blinken that it was important to increase pressure on the Iranian regime, which supports many terrorist groups in the anti-Israel axis. “Increasing pressure on Iran is critical and could prevent regional escalation in additional circumstances,” Yoav Galant said in his meeting with American diplomats, according to an Israeli government statement.

Blinken comes to Israel For the fifth time since the war began With the aim of promoting de-escalation in the conflict three months ago, while Israeli military authorities have already announced that the war will soon enter a new, less intense phase and focus more on selective operations.

“I want to thank the United States, President Biden, the administration and you, Secretary Blinken, for your moral duty, for the fact that you stand firmly with Israel in this war, which is clearly about humanity and values. free world Thank you very much,” President Herzog said of American support for Israel.

Herzog mentions the audience International Criminal Court in The HagueThat will begin Thursday, on a genocide complaint filed by South Africa against Israel, a country it called a “hypocrite.”

“There is nothing more disgusting and absurd than this statement. In fact, our enemies, Hamas, in their charter call for the destruction and annihilation of the only nation state of the Jewish people, the State of Israel. “One of humanity’s worst atrocities, the Holocaust, which was specifically directed against the Jews to exterminate the Jewish race, the Jewish people, was declared a convention against genocide by the international community,” the president said.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, injured 59,000 and displaced 1.9 million people in a territory of 2.3 million people.

(With information from AFP and EFE)