President Joe Biden will travel to Israel this Wednesday, October 18, to show the United States’ support for the country and will also visit Jordan to meet with Arab leaders and negotiate the opening of a humanitarian corridor.
In an appearance from Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported that the American president will travel to Israel to learn first-hand what the country needs “to defend its people” and to show the solidarity of the United States and its “strong commitment” to the country’s security.
The top foreign affairs official of the United States made this announcement after a meeting of more than seven hours with the Prime Minister of Israel, Beniamin Netanyahu, and officials of the Israeli war cabinet.
In a call with the media held shortly after this announcement, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby detailed that Biden will meet with Beniamin Netanyahu and other officials of his Government, on a trip that will feature “the appropriate security parameters”.
“We would not be talking about a trip like this if we did not feel comfortable that the appropriate security parameters exist,” said the spokesperson, who did not detail where Biden will travel and stated that there will not be a press conference by the US president in Israeli territory.
It will be a short trip and on the same day Biden will also visit Amman, in Jordan, where he will meet with King Abdullah, the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss humanitarian aid and the possible opening of a corridor at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
“We want to make sure that humanitarian assistance begins to flow” and that there is “safe passage for people to leave,” particularly “American citizens, about 100 who have not been able to leave Gaza,” said Kirby, who did not He wanted to give an opening date.
“We would like to see it flow and obviously as soon as possible because there is a need, but I can’t give you a date tonight,” he said.
In a statement, the White House reported that Biden spoke by telephone today with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, with whom he discussed “ongoing efforts to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in coordination with the UN, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Israel and other regional partners, and the need to preserve stability in the Middle East more broadly.”
Blinken is in Israel to explore the possible opening of this humanitarian corridor to allow thousands of people to leave the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli Army prepares to enter the enclave.
It is the second visit of the head of American diplomacy to Israel since the beginning on October 7 of the war between the Israelis and the Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip led by Hamas.
Today’s meeting between Blinken and Netanyahu was interrupted by air raid sirens and both had to take refuge in a bunker for several minutes, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters traveling with the secretary.
Once the danger had passed, they resumed the meeting in a command center at a headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, a meeting that lasted almost eight hours.
In the subsequent brief appearance before the press, in which he announced Biden’s trip, Blinken assured that with him the president “will make it clear again”, as he has done “unequivocally” since “the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,400 people “, that Israel “has the right and duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and prevent future attacks.”
The President, Blinken added, “will hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people” and will underscore the “very clear” message that any actor, state or non-state, who tries to take advantage of this crisis to attack Israel does not do so.
He will also learn the latest details of the Americans kidnapped by Hamas and will try to “coordinate efforts” for them to “return home.”
“President Biden will be fully briefed on Israel’s war objectives and strategy” and “will hear Israel say how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and allows humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza.” in a way that does not benefit Hamas,” Blinken added.
