The State Department has announced that top American diplomat Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel, and Palestine this weekend. The announcement comes as the United States expressed concern regarding an increase in violence following Israel’s single most deadly operation in the occupied West Bank in 20 years.
The Israeli raid on a West Bank refugee camp earlier on Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of nine people, including a 61-year-old woman, will likely dominate Blinken’s talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, despite the fact that his trip to Israel has been planned for weeks.
Later that day, the Israeli military also shot and killed a Palestinian man who was 22 years old.
Palestine declared a three-day mourning period. The Israeli military reported that two rockets were launched early on Friday from the besieged Gaza Strip.
Due to disagreements between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly regarding Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, it was anticipated that Blinken’s trip, the second by a senior US national security official this month, would be fraught with tension.
It is anticipated that the raid on Thursday and the subsequent outcry will make the visit even more challenging.
