U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Thursday that "Israel working with the region and finding a way to establish a Palestinian state is the best way to isolate Iran." He mentioned that "Washington is focused on ensuring that the situation in the West Bank does not explode." Blinken made these comments before boarding a plane to leave Cairo, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, concluding a whirlwind diplomatic tour that included Israel and its neighbors to discuss the war in Gaza.
The visit followed a meeting in Aqaba, where el-Sisi spoke with Jordanian King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as the U.S. seeks to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza amid the threat of the conflict spreading to Lebanon, Iraq, and maritime passages in the Red Sea. Blinken, who visited nine countries along with the occupied West Bank in a week, came to Israel with the preliminary idea that neighboring countries should contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza after the war and continue economic integration with Israel, provided that Israel commits to eventually allowing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
