US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive Tuesday in Israel for his latest attempt to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into prematurely ending IDF operations against its genocidal enemies in Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken will travel to Israel and other countries in the Middle East from October 21-25, according to State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.
The Secretary is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem.
“Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” according to Miller’s statement.
The Secretary “will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives and realize their aspirations free from Hamas’s tyranny,” Miller said.
“He will underscore that additional food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza,” he added.
There was no mention of the fact that as of 3:30 pm Monday, there were still some 600 huge trucks filled with humanitarian aid sitting along the border in Gaza territory, awaiting delivery throughout the enclave by international aid organizations.
“The Secretary will also discuss the need to reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that fully implements UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and allows civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return to their homes,” the statement said.
US Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein noted Monday in a news conference held after talks with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, however, that “1701 was successful at ending the war in 2006, but we must be honest that nobody did anything to implement it. The lack of implementation over those years contributed to the conflict that we are in today.”
Hochstein said a “new mechanism” would be needed to prevent future conflicts.
