From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Blinken heading back to Israel on Friday
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his second war-time visit to Israel on Friday, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Blinken visited Israel on October 12 and held a nearly eight-hour meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, kicking off a regional tour that included stops in five other countries as he sought to build a coalition against Hamas while coordinating with allies to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of the hostages.
That trip had appeared to have limited success as Arab countries have not taken well to the continued US support for Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Strip.
US diplomacy was integral, however, in coaxing Israel and Egypt to begin allowing humanitarian aid to enter the enclave 10 days ago.
