Blinken meets with Israeli leaders in an effort to contain conflict
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders during his fourth trip to the Middle East in just three months.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday that Israel will “intensify” military efforts in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza until Hamas leaders are captured or killed and the Israeli hostages are freed.
The Israeli military in recent days has announced plans to continue the war with fewer troops and less bombing. But Gallant made clear that the pursuit of Hamas militants who may have fled northern Gaza will be stepped up.
Blinken was in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other leaders aimed at curbing civilian deaths and finding common ground on Gaza’s postwar future. Blinken, who arrived in Tel Avi after visits with leaders in Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, is also pressing diplomatic efforts to keep the war from expanding across the Middle East.
At a news conference, Blinken said he and Israeli leaders agreed to a plan for the U.N. to conduct an “assessment mission’’ to determine what will be required for Palestinians to return safely to their homes in northern Gaza.
“In today’s meetings I was also crystal clear: Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow,” Blinken said. “They must not be pressed to leave Gaza.”
Some high-level Israeli ministers have advocated resettling Palestinians elsewhere, but Blinken said Netanyahu assured him that’s not his government’s policy.
Blinken said the nations he visited expressed interest in helping plan Gaza’s future as well as normalizing relations with Israel. He had also said he would visit with the families of some of the hostages and “discuss our relentless efforts to bring everyone home and back with their families.”
“The secretary reaffirmed our support for Israel’s right to prevent the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 from being repeated and stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” the State Department said in a statement.
Netanyahu did not release any information on this discussion with Blinken, possibly reflecting a rift with Blinken. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reached out to Blinken in a social media post: “Mr. Secretary Blinken, it’s not the time to speak softly with Hamas, it’s time to use that big stick.”
Israel assassination plan: Terror leaders worldwide targeted. It’s not the first time
Developments:
∎ Hezbollah senior commander Ali Hussein Barji, reportedly the architect of several drone attacks on northern Israel, was killed in an apparent strike in southern Lebanon, the militant group said.
∎ A drone targeted a car during the funeral procession of high-ranking Hezbollah military commander Wissam Tawil, causing several injuries in the southern Lebanese town of Kherbit Selim, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. Tawil was killed Monday by an apparent Israeli drone strike on his SUV.
∎ Six Israeli troops died in a central Gaza blast and three more were killed in battles across southern Gaza, the Israeli military said. This despite military declarations that the fighting would become more targeted and there would be fewer ground troops and airstrikes.
∎ Israeli actor and singer Idan Amedi, who plays a rookie undercover agent in the hit Netflix show “Fauda,” has been hospitalized after being seriously wounded by shrapnel while serving in Gaza, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
Postwar Gaza: Mideast nations want to help shape plan
The U.N. General Assembly convened for a discussion on the war in Gaza, and Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Gilad Erdan, used the moment to celebrate the first birthday of the youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas. Kfir’s brother, Ariel, 4, and parents, Shiri Bibas, 32, and Yarden Bibas, 34, also remain in Hamas custody. Erdan held up a birthday cake with a picture of Kfir on it, Israel’s Channel 7 National News reported.
“Kfir, this birthday cake is for you,” Erdan said from the podium. “You are the reason Israel is fighting day and night. My only wish for you, for your first birthday, is that next year, God willing, you will celebrate your birthday surrounded by the love of your family, and that we will live in a world where the suffering of Israeli babies is important to the U.N.”
Saudi Arabia wants to normalize relations with Israel after the war in Gaza, but any deal must lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, the Saudi ambassador to Britain said Tuesday. Prince Khalid bin Bandar told the BBC a pact was “close” when U.S.-brokered talks were halted after Hamas’ attack on Israel. Saudi Arabia, which has never recognized Israel’s right to exist, still seeks ties with Israel despite the “deplorable” casualty figures in Gaza, the prince said.
He also said the West must treat Israel the same as it treats other nations. “The blind spot toward Israel is a real problem because it provides a blind spot to peace,” he said.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday urged Muslim states to support his war against Israel with weapons as well as humanitarian aid, saying Hamas’ fight is not solely for the Palestinian people.
“We see that the countries of the world are pouring weapons to the occupation through air bridges and aircraft carriers, and the time has come to support the resistance with weapons,” said Haniyeh, speaking at the World Federation of Muslim Scholars Conference in Doha, Qatar.
Haniyeh said the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 was fueled by the “marginalization” of the Palestinian issue, an Israeli government that he said prioritized displacement of Palestinians, clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the “normalization and integration of occupation” by Israel in the region.
“Our Palestinian people and our resistance decided that a reality in this way cannot be confronted with traditional means,” Haniyeh said.
The more than 100 Israeli hostages being held by the militants in Gaza will not be freed until the thousands of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons are released, he stressed.
“The declared goals of the war on Gaza are to eliminate Hamas, recover the prisoners and implement the displacement plan,” Haniyeh said. “And I tell you that the enemy, despite the destruction and massacres, has failed to achieve any goal of the war.”
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
