US Head of Diplomacy Anthony Blinken arrived in Turkey on Friday, the first stop on his fourth tour in the Middle East since the start of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, during which he intends to demand increased aid to Gaza and ways to support it. Avoid conflict in a tense regional context.
• Read also: The UN Humanitarian Coordinator says Gaza has “simply become uninhabitable.”
• Read also: Israel unveils its post-war plan for Gaza, nearly three months after the conflict began
• Read also: Iraq is “firmly” determined to end the presence of the international coalition
Mr. Blinken expects difficult discussions during this new tour, which will take him, in addition to Israel at the beginning of next week, to five Arab countries: Jordan, Qatar, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, in addition to the West Bank. Headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, spokesman Matthew Miller told the press.
In this tour, scheduled until January 10, the US Secretary of State will discuss “immediate actions to significantly increase humanitarian aid to Gaza,” as the United Nations and NGOs describe the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic.”
“We do not expect every conversation on this journey to be easy. It is clear that the region faces difficult problems and difficult choices must be made,” Miller said.
He added: “But the Secretary of State believes that it is the responsibility of the United States to lead diplomatic efforts to confront these challenges directly.”
The American position is sensitive: the United States is the main military supporter of Israel, and it rejects the ceasefire strongly demanded by the Arab countries in particular.
However, Washington does not oppose humanitarian ceasefires such as the one in November that allowed the release of hostages held by Hamas.
By sending the US Secretary of State to the region again – this will be his fifth official visit to Israel since the attack launched by Hamas on October 7 – the United States intends to maintain pressure on the Israeli authorities.
Despite the limited room for maneuver, US administration officials reiterate that behind-the-scenes pressure on Israel is working, but they do not hide their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and its conduct in the war.
In response to the October 7 attack, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign, relentlessly bombing the Gaza Strip from north to south. According to Hamas, this left 22,600 people dead on the Palestinian side.
The United States also condemns the extreme positions of Israeli ministers calling for the return of Jewish settlers to Gaza, after the current war, and which aims to “encourage” the Palestinian population to emigrate.
“Avoid escalation”
Fears of seeing a war sweeping the entire Middle East have increased since the attack on Tuesday that targeted the second man in Hamas, Saleh Al-Arouri, in the southern suburb of Beirut, and the double explosion that left 89 people dead on Wednesday in Iran, and which Israel claimed responsibility for. Islamic State group.
The international community is also interested in the multiplication of naval attacks by these Houthis in the Red Rouge, exhorting these people to use “immediate attacks on illegitimate attacks”, as the quota of these rebels, in the areas of Iran, is assumed to be the case. Results”.
The US State Department said on Thursday that Mr. Blinken also spoke about it on Wednesday with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, as the two officials discussed measures aimed at “avoiding escalation in Lebanon and Iran.”
The two ministers also exchanged by phone “measures aimed at reducing tension in the West Bank,” according to a press statement.
Sweden is in NATO
In Turkey, the situation in Gaza will be discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a traditional supporter of the Palestinian cause, who has increased his criticism against Israel since the beginning of the conflict, and has also denounced US support for the Israeli government. .
It will also be a matter of putting new pressure on Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership.
Turkey, which requires a green light for the delivery of US F-16 fighter jets, which Congress has so far blocked, is the latest member of the Atlantic alliance with Hungary blocking the way for Sweden.
Diplomacy requires that Mr. Blinken make a brief stop on Saturday in Greece, which is concerned about selling fighter jets to Ankara, its historic adversary.
