Blinken heads to Israel to push for Middle East ceasefires -- State Dept

The Manila Times

Blinken heads to Israel to push for Middle East ceasefires -- State Dept  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East on Oct. 21, 2024, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Vedant Patel, the State Department's deputy spokesman, told reporters the top diplomat's trip will start with Israel but did not provide the other exact destinations. Blinken's latest trip to the region, his 11th since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and in Lebanon against Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah.  REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes  #worldnews  #usoffensive

Transcript

00:00The Secretary will be – wheels up later this afternoon, heading to Israel and other

00:05countries in the Middle East.

00:08In Israel, the Secretary will reaffirm the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's

00:13security and emphasize advancing enduring peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians

00:19alike.

00:20Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war

00:25in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering

00:30of the Palestinian people.

00:32He will continue discussions with counterparts on post-conflict period planning and emphasize

00:38the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives

00:43and realize their aspirations free from Hamas's tyranny.

00:48The Secretary will also underscore that additional food, medicine, and other urgently needed

00:53humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza.

00:57He will also discuss the need to reach a diplomatic resolution in the conflict between Israel

01:03and Hezbollah that fully implements UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and allows civilians

01:09on both sides of the blue line to return to their homes.

01:13And lastly, he will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to work with partners across the region to

01:18de-escalate tensions and providing lasting stability.

01:22So with that, I will let the travel team announce other stops as it relates to the schedule

01:28as the trip progresses.

01:31At this point, we can certainly share that he will be going to Israel, but additional

01:36stops are to be announced.

01:51For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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