U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel to the Middle East next week on his seventh diplomatic mission to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began more than six months ago, the Associated Press reports, citing the State Department, UNN reports.
Details
According to the AP, Blinken leaves for Saudi Arabia on Monday, just two days after returning to Washington after a trip to China. Blinken will attend a World Economic Forum conference and meet with Arab foreign ministers in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
A representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Blinken will visit Israel on Tuesday, and this stop is not mentioned in the State Department's announcement of Blinken's itinerary.
Since mid-October, Blinken has been traveling between Israel and most of its Arab and Muslim neighbors in an effort to increase aid to civilians in Gaza, prevent the conflict from spreading throughout the region, and build support for plans to rebuild and govern post-war Gaza. - Openly supporting Israel's right to self-defense.
Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has increased political pressure in the United States: pro-Palestinian protests are emerging at universities, which are being opposed by those who claim that the demonstrations have turned into anti-Semitism.