Blinken Begins Crucial Middle Eastern Tour

The U.S. State Department announced today, Thursday, that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt from January 4 to January 11. It pointed out that Blinken will emphasize the need for the Israeli government to make more efforts to reduce tensions in the West Bank during his visit. He will also discuss ongoing efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages. Additionally, he will advocate for further steps regarding the future shape of Gaza at the end of the conflict. Blinken will focus on preventing the conflict from widening, including specific steps that the parties can take, and will highlight the need for actions to deter Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. In Turkey, Blinken will discuss with Turkish officials the final steps needed to complete the ratification of Sweden's NATO membership.