Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday in Tel Aviv with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and participated in a meeting with Israel’s war cabinet, marking his fourth visit to Israel since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Blinken also met with President Isaac Herzog.
Blinken was accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, State Department counselor Derek Chollet, State Department special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues David Satterfield and US ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew.
While meeting with Herzog, Blinken reiterated the United States' solidarity with Israel, saying, “Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself . . . to make sure that this October 7 never happens again.”
The secretary of state also reiterated that Palestinian “civilians caught in the crossfire of Hamas's making” must be protected and receive much-needed aid.
