Top US diplomat Antony Blinken will make a surprise visit to Bahrain on Wednesday after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the latest leg of his Middle East crisis tour, State Department officials said.
After meeting with President Abbas in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Mr. Blinken traveled to Bahrain, home of the U.S. 5th Fleet, to meet with King Hamad to prevent a regional escalation of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. It is scheduled to fly,” the official said. Added.
The Gulf kingdom is an important partner of Washington and is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Bahrain last month joined a 10-nation naval task force announced by the United States to protect the vital Red Sea route from missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The Houthis say they are targeting “Israel-linked” vessels in solidarity with Gaza, prompting many shipping companies to reroute ships, with ripple effects on the global economy.
Blinken is on his fourth tour of the Middle East since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7 sparked the war.
The top US diplomat on Tuesday called for more food and medical aid to reach the Gaza Strip, saying the war had taken a “too high” toll on civilians, especially children.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its bombing of Gaza on Wednesday, as Mr. Blinken met with the head of the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. government wants the Palestinian Authority to take control of the coastal areas after the war ends.
As the U.S. Secretary of State arrived under tight security in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, demonstrators held placards reading things like “Stop the Genocide,” “Liberate Palestine” and “Leave.” I raised it.
Blinken then met with Abbas, who later met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba to discuss “promoting an immediate ceasefire.” It was planned.
Israel’s relentless attacks have left 23,200 people dead in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled region’s health ministry.
This follows a Hamas attack that reportedly resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, in Israel. AFP Aggregation based on official Israeli statistics.
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Published date: January 10, 2024 16:22:33 IST