Blinken to again visit Israel on Friday

Washington, Nov 1 (IANS) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will again travel to Israel on Friday during which he is scheduled to hold meetings with government officials in the Jewish nation.

“Secretary Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government, and then will make other stops in the region," CNN quoted State Department spokesman Matthew Miller as saying to reporters on Tuesday.

Blinken has made multiple visits to Israel since the Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on October 7.

Besides Israel, Blinken made trips to Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt last month.

He had also accompanied President Joe Biden to meetings with Israeli government officials and victims his historic war-time visit to Tel Aviv on October 18.

Also on Tuesday, Blinken also spoke to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the phone, during which he "reiterated US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism consistent with international humanitarian law and emphasised the need to take feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians," the State Department said.

They also "discussed efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; continue working tirelessly to bring hostages home; increase urgently the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance that is entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians; and prevent the conflict from spreading", it added.