Countries in Middle East must avert an endless cycle of violence - Blinken
Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken (photo: Getty Images)
The utmost must be done to prevent the escalation of the military conflict in the Gaza Strip from spreading throughout the entire Middle East region. We cannot allow an endless cycle of violence, states U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The head of American diplomacy emphasized that leaders in the Middle East should utilize all mechanisms to prevent an endless cycle of violence.
"We have an intense focus on preventing this conflict (between Israel and Hamas) from spreading. And a big part of the conversations, we'll be having over the coming days with all of our allies and partners is looking at steps that they can take using the influence and ties that they can have to make sure that this conflict doesn't spread," stated Blinken.
He also added that during these meetings, leaders would explore ways to maximize the protection of civilians, provide them with maximum humanitarian assistance, and establish mechanisms for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.
"The majority of people in the region for a future that is one a piece of security of de-escalation of conflicts of integration of countries and that's one path that's one future. The other path is an endless cycle of violence, a repetition of the horrific events that we've seen and lives insecurity, and conflict for people in the region which is what virtually no one wants," summarized the U.S. Secretary of State.
Blinken's visit to the Middle East
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a seven-day visit to the Middle East on January 4th for negotiations with leaders of countries in the region. During his trip, he will visit Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as Turkey and Greece.
This marks the fourth visit by the head of American diplomacy since October 7, 2023, which coincided with the start of the conflict between Israel and the Hamas Palestinian movement in the Gaza Strip.
Previously, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 155mm artillery shells and equipment to Israel without congressional review.
In addition, the U.S. confirmed the shipment of two Iron Dome systems to Israel, which will protect the country from rocket attacks by Hamas militants.
