After negotiations in Saudi Arabia with the leaders of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, A. Blinken went to Jordan. The visit is the seventh trip by the US secretary of state to the Middle East since October 7, when the Islamist group Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
A. Blinken will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi. In Jordan, he will also hold talks with the United Nations Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction Coordinator for the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag.
Later on Tuesday, Blinken will visit Israel to discuss the latest proposal for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave and the release of hostages.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is backing Israel in its fight against Hamas, despite criticism abroad and growing anger on US university campuses, but is urging the Jewish state to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“President Biden insists that Israel take specific, concrete and measurable steps to better address the humanitarian suffering, harm to civilians and the safety of aid workers in Gaza,” the US secretary of state said on Monday.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen tangible progress, including the opening of new border crossings, increased aid deliveries to and from Gaza and the construction of a US maritime corridor that will open in the coming weeks,” he continued.
“But that’s not enough. We still need more aid in and around Gaza,” said A. Blinken.
The US president has warned Israel that further support is in jeopardy after seven workers at the World Central Kitchen charity were killed in a strike by the Jewish state earlier this month.
According to Washington, after this incident, Israel is making more efforts to prevent such deaths in the future. In addition, the Jewish state began to coordinate its actions more closely with aid groups operating in the Gaza Strip.
However, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which the UN says is at risk of starvation, remains very poor.
The Biden administration is dealing with the crisis by building a temporary wharf to bring more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.
Jordan maintains diplomatic relations with Israel and has a large Palestinian population, making Amman particularly sensitive to the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this month, Jordan shot down Iranian drones launched toward Israel. The attack was Tehran’s response to a deadly airstrike by the Jewish state on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
Jordan, in cooperation with the United States, insists that it does not want to be at the epicenter of the conflict.
