US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived today in Israel, his first stop on a regional tour and his first official visit to the country. Blinken is expected to visit also the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi welcomed Blinken upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, greeting him warmly. "It is an honor to host you on your first official visit to Israel. Every visit by Sec of State is a special occasion, let alone when it is his first. Looking forward to our discussions on strengthening the US-IL relations and on regional development," Ashkenazi tweeted.
Shortly after his arrival, Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking at a joint press conference at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked President Joe Biden and Blinken for supporting Israel’s right for self-defense, and also thanked Blinken for his personal engagement into replenishing Israel with Iron Dome missile defense batteries. "We too will give meaning to our commitment of self-defense if Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel. Our response will be very powerful. And we have discussed ways on how to work together to prevent Hamas rearmament, with weapons and means of aggression," Netanyahu said.
On Iran, Netanyahu noted, "I hope that the United States will not go back to the old JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], because we believe that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy."
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
