“The president will reaffirm the solidarity of USA with Israel and our strong commitment to their security,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced early on Tuesday in Tel Aviv.
Blinken spoke after a night meeting of nearly eight hours at the Ministry of Defense with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in the senior diplomat’s second visit since the Hamas attack on October 7.
“Israel has the right, and indeed the duty, to defend its population from attacks by Hamas and others terrorists and to prevent future attacks,” Blinken said.
Biden “will hear from Israel what he needs to defend his people as we work with Congress to meet those needs,” he said.
Meeting with leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan
Additionally, Biden will travel from Israel to Amman on Wednesday to meet with the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, and the king of Jordan, Abdullah IIthe White House reported.
Biden “will reiterate that Hamas does not defend the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination, and will again speak to the humanitarian needs of Gaza civilians,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
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Aid plan for the Gaza Strip
Blinken also said that the United States gave assurances to Israel to work to bring foreign assistance to the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip as Israel prepares for a ground offensive against territory under Hamas control.
Biden hopes to “hear from Israel how it will develop operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and allows humanitarian assistance to reach civilians in Gaza and does not benefit Hamas,” Blinken said.
“At our request, The United States and Israel agreed to formulate a plan that will allow humanitarian aid from donor countries and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza“Blinken said.
He added that the two sides are discussing the “possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way.”
Source: Ambito
