US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is slated to arrive next week in Israel as part of a trip that includes stops in the Palestinian Authority, Morocco, and Algeria.
Israel will be the first destination on Blinken’s trip, scheduled to take place from March 26 to March 30.
“There, he will meet with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in making the announcement.
“The Secretary will underscore the unwavering US commitment to Israel’s security, engage on Israeli-Palestinian issues, and discuss regional and global challenges with his counterparts in the Israeli government,” Price said.
Blinken is also scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in the PA capital city of Ramallah, “as well as with representatives of Palestinian civil society,” Price added.
“In these meetings, the Secretary will emphasize the importance of strengthening US-Palestinian relations, and advancing freedom, security, and prosperity for the Palestinian people,” he said.
Price also said that Price will emphasize to “all of the foreign leaders he meets” that the US stands in solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine “in the face of the Kremlin’s aggression,” and will continue to “work closely with our allies and partners to impose further costs on [Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin and his enablers” if the Russian president does not change course.
The Jewish State has taken a particularly cautious stance on the issue of imposing sanctions against Moscow. This is partly because Israel’s prime minister is actively engaged in trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and also because Russia controls the skies over Syria, where the IAF regularly carries out air strikes against the Iranian military presence there, across Israel’s northern border.
