United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel where he was greeted by Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
The top U.S. diplomat will hold talks with Cohen and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day, a meeting coming amidst the ongoing escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The Israeli people will never forget the support the United States showed us in these hard days.
“I thank my friend U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, U.S. President Joe Biden, and all our friends in the U.S. for their unambiguous support of Israel, condemnation of terrorism, and standing up for the rights of the State of Israel to defend itself and its citizens,” the ministry quoted Cohen as saying in a statement.
The U.S. Secretary of State will also hold meetings with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after his visit to Israel, the I24News broadcaster reported on Thursday.
The meetings will reportedly take place in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
On Wednesday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also visited Israel to meet with the country’s leadership and to express London’s support for victims of the conflict.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to declare a state of war the following day and launch retaliatory strikes.
