Foreign Minister Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Kirya, the headquarters of the country’s Defense Ministry and IDF Central Command, in the wake of Hamas’ unprecedented attack on the Jewish state.
“We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,” Blinken told Netanyahu as the two shook hands. The secretary also said that he was sorry to see the Israeli prime minister in such circumstances.
A short video showed the two teams of assistants sitting opposite each other on either side.
Blinken landed in Tel Aviv just after 3:00 am Eastern time, 10:00 am local time. He was greeted on the tarmac by government officials who gave him a warm hug. The secretary made no statements upon arrival.
Before leaving the US, Blinken said his simple message was that ‘the United States has Israel’s back’. In addition to talks with Netanyahu, he will also meet with members of his senior cabinet as well as President Isaac Herzog.
On Friday, Blinken will also sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Blinken is joined on his mission of peace by his Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Sullivan, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for hostage affairs Steve Gillen .
“We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,” Blinken told Netanyahu as the two shook hands.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of his mission of diplomacy in the country
Before leaving the US, Blinken said his simple message was that ‘the United States has Israel’s back’
Blinken’s visit was met with intense security as the bloody conflict continues
He was greeted by Eli Cohen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, along with two other officials of the department, Michael Herzog, the US ambassador to the country and Stephanie Hallett, the head of the US diplomatic mission to Israel.
A State Department official told The New York Times that Blinken planned to go straight to Tel Aviv to begin his meetings. The secretary will go to Jordan after holding his meetings in Israel to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The secretary of state became the most senior US official to visit the country since Saturday’s Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.
The death toll in Gaza has also reached nearly 1,200, the Palestinian health ministry said last night after four days of relentless Israeli airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled territory.
But Blinken insisted he would not try to limit the Israeli counterattack ahead of a widely expected invasion of the densely populated enclave.
“We know that Israel will take all the precautions it can, just as we would, and again that’s what separates us from Hamas and terrorist groups that engage in the most heinous kinds of activities,” he told reporters as he left.
The foreign minister will offer further military support when he meets Netanyahu after a second US carrier group was ordered to the region.
But he will also try to prevent the conflict from spreading after Israeli forces again exchanged artillery fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants across the Lebanese border to the north.
“We will reiterate the very strong message that President Biden has delivered to any country or any party that may be trying to take advantage of this situation, and that message is not.”
‘The United States has Israel’s back.
“We have their back today, we’ll have it tomorrow, and we’ll have it every day. And we will always stand resolutely against terrorism.
‘Not since Isis have we seen this kind of depravity and we will continue to stand resolutely against it.
“Already significant military assistance requested by Israel is on the way, it is on top of everything we have done for years.
“There will be further requests and we have already worked closely with Congress on this and we look forward to continuing to do so so that Israel has what it needs.
America’s top diplomat was already working the phones in an effort to pressure Hamas to release about 150 hostages it took from Israel in its deadly cross-border attack.
He has spoken with leaders in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and is expected to visit at least some on his trip to the Middle East.
But critics say the unprovoked attack is a symptom of years of neglect in the region that have allowed the US to catch up.
“The attack by Hamas is a reminder of the perception of an American absence or lack of commitment to the region that some actors may interpret and do things they should not do,” said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute.