U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo and met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday during his sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. El-Sissi called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Blinken.
Quick Read
- Blinken’s Middle East Tour: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his sixth visit to the region since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict, arriving in Cairo for talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
- Ceasefire Advocacy: President el-Sissi has advocated for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during discussions with Blinken, emphasizing the dire consequences of any Israeli ground attack on Rafah city.
- Mediation Efforts: The talks between el-Sissi and Blinken focused on achieving a ceasefire and facilitating a hostage swap between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt playing a pivotal mediation role.
- Humanitarian Concerns: Both leaders underscored the necessity of ensuring humanitarian aid access to Gaza’s populace and opposed displacing Palestinians from their land.
- Regional Diplomacy: Following discussions in Saudi Arabia about a ceasefire in Gaza, Blinken’s tour includes a planned visit to Israel to continue dialogues on the ceasefire and hostage release, alongside broader regional security matters.
- U.N. Resolution Draft: Blinken revealed the U.S. has proposed a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council advocating for an immediate Gaza ceasefire tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas.
- Casualty Figures: The conflict has resulted in nearly 32,000 Palestinian fatalities, with significant infrastructure damage in Gaza, pushing a large portion of the population into displacement.
- International Legal Actions: Israel faces allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has demanded a halt to genocidal acts and ensured humanitarian aid provision to Gaza civilians.
- Arab Diplomatic Engagement: Blinken’s visit to Egypt includes broader discussions with Arab foreign ministers on securing an end to the Gaza conflict, with emphasis on immediate ceasefire, aid facilitation, and opposition to Palestinian displacement.
- U.S.-Saudi Talks: In Saudi Arabia, Blinken’s discussions with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman touched on potential U.S.-Saudi agreements, potentially involving U.S. defense guarantees and assistance in developing a civilian nuclear program for Saudi Arabia.
- Future Discussions in Israel: Blinken’s upcoming meetings in Israel will focus on ceasefire efforts, humanitarian aid enhancement for Gaza, and addressing concerns regarding Israel’s military strategies in the region.
The Associated Press has the story:
Blinken meets with Egypt’s President on his 6th Mideast trip since Israel-Hamas war begins
Newslooks- CAIRO — (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo and met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday during his sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. El-Sissi called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Blinken.
Talks between el-Sissi and Blinken dwelt on the situation in the Gaza Strip and mediation efforts to reach a cease-fire deal and hostage swap between Israel and Hamas, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The Egyptian leader warned of grave consequences from any Israeli ground attack on Rafah city, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
He also called for the entry of sufficient aid to Gaza and opening a political horizon to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Blinken, for his part, hailed Egyptian efforts to establish calm in the region, the statement said.
According to the statement, the two sides agreed on the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure access to humanitarian aid for Gaza’s population and reject any form of displacing the Palestinians from their land.
Blinken kicked off his latest regional tour on Wednesday by holding talks with officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss a cease-fire deal in Gaza. He is scheduled to visit Israel on Friday. The top diplomat said Wednesday that the U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council that calls “for an immediate cease-fire” in Gaza that’s “tied to the release” of hostages held by Hamas.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas incursion in which some 1,160 Israelis were killed. Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war, now in its 167th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Blinken was in Saudi Arabia the day before, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A senior State Department official traveling with Blinken said the Saudi talks focused on the bilateral portion of a larger plan in which Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel in return for credible progress on the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel’s current government is staunchly opposed to Palestinian statehood, which Saudis have said is an essential component to any normalization agreement.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks, says only a “handful of issues” remain in the U.S.-Saudi component of the plan. That part of the plan is widely believed to include U.S. defense guarantees and aid in building a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia.
Blinken was set to meet with Arab foreign ministers later Thursday to discuss broader security assurances for Israel — another component of the broader plan — and an Arab role in governing and rebuilding postwar Gaza.
Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday for talks expected to focus on efforts to broker a deal on a cease-fire and the release of hostages, as well as U.S. concerns about Israel’s plans to expand its ground offensive to the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Those talks will also focus on increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Egypt hosts Arab talks with Blinken on steps to end Gaza war
In a joint statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry, the ministers called for “a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire” and the “opening of all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” where aid has only trickled in and the United Nations has repeatedly warned of imminent famine.
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan, as well as the Emirati minister of international cooperation and the Palestinian Authority minister for civilian affairs, the ministry said.
The Arab officials also reiterated their “rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinians from their lands,” as a looming Israeli ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah has raised fears for the 1.5 million mostly displaced Palestinians sheltering in the city, penned in by the Egyptian border.
Later Thursday, the ministers were due to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is visiting Egypt as part of his sixth tour of the region since the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7.
Blinken also had separate meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss “ongoing efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza” and “secure an immediate ceasefire that includes the release of hostages”, according to the state department.
Egypt is the main entry point for aid deliveries to Gaza and a key mediator in talks underway in Qatar to secure a six-week truce in the war that would allow hostages to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and increased aid deliveries to Gaza.
The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out on October 7 after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in about 1,160 deaths, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.
Israel has waged a relentless offensive against Hamas that has killed nearly 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
UN agencies have warned that Gaza’s 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine, and UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel may be using “starvation as a method of war”.
During a visit Wednesday to Saudi Arabia, Blinken unveiled a draft US resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States, Israel’s main backer, has previously used its UN Security Council veto to block the world body from calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
