In Cairo, Blinken urges Israel and Palestinians ‘to calm things down’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the airport in Cairo on January 30, 2023. (Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges “calm” and “deescalation” after violence flares between Israel and the Palestinians, as he kicks off a Middle East tour in Cairo.
At a press conference in Cairo, Blinken urges “all parties to calm things down and deescalate tensions,” while also stressing the “importance of working for a two-state solution.”
Blinken is due to arrive in Israel in a few hours and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as President Isaac Herzog.
He will travel to Ramallah tomorrow to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.