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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
US announces Blinken to visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt to discuss Gaza truce deal
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MANILA, Philippines — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week to discuss efforts to secure a hostages-for-ceasefire deal in Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, a State Department spokesperson says.
Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before travelling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller says from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring.
This will be Blinken’s sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
“The Secretary will discuss efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages, intensified international efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and coordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of October 7,” Miller says in a statement.
Blinken will also discuss “a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region.”
And he will raise the imperative issue of ending attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial ships, to restore stability and security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Miller adds.
The Times of Israel Community.