On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Washington for a trip to the Middle East. Blinken has begun his journey in Egypt, after which he will depart for Israel and the West Bank.
Blinken said his trip aims to “deepen bilateral relationships and people-to-people ties, promote human rights, and strengthen regional and global security.”
He says he will call for calm during his trip to Israel and the West Bank, saying the civilian loss of life is “very deeply disturbing”. The U.S. official said he was looking forward to speaking to Israeli and Palestinian officials to better understand those “who are being affected by this in their daily lives.”
On Friday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said he couldn’t connect the Israeli military raid in Jenin and the killing of 30 Palestinians over the past month to the synagogue attack in Jerusalem. Patel said the U.S. condemns any kind of violence against civilians.