US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and made statements to journalists before leaving Egypt. Stating that it is an extremely difficult and very sensitive period for the region, Blinken said, “We came here with four basic goals; “To make clear that the United States stands with Israel, to prevent the conflict from spreading elsewhere, to work to secure the release of hostages, including US citizens, and to find a solution to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” he said.
“IT IS IMPORTANT HOW ISRAEL DOES THIS”
Saying that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas’ attacks and to do its best to prevent these attacks from recurring, Blinken said, “As President Biden said, it is important how Israel does this. “It must do this by taking every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians and without harming the common values we have for human life and human dignity,” he said.
Stating that he has visited 6 countries so far after the outbreak of conflicts between Israel and Hamas, Blinken stated that in almost every meeting he had during his visits, everything possible should be done to ensure that these conflicts do not spread to other places, that the lives of innocents are protected and that Palestinians in need in Gaza are provided. He stated that there was a common opinion to provide assistance. Stating that they are working to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Blinken stated that Ambassador David Satterfield was appointed today as the US Special Representative for Middle East Humanitarian Issues and that he is focusing on this issue.
“THIS IS NOT A PROVOCATION, IT IS INTENDED TO BE A DETERRENT”
Referring to the US’s deployment of its two largest aircraft carriers to the region to support Israel, Blinken said: “This is not a provocation, it is intended to be a deterrent. “It is intended to make it clear that no one should do anything that adds fuel to the fire,” he said.
Stating that they had a good meeting with President al-Sisi regarding the Rafah Border Gate, which is the only gate of the Gaza Strip opening to Egypt, Blinken said, “Egypt has provided a lot of financial support to the people in Gaza and Rafah will be reopened. We are establishing a mechanism with the United Nations, Egypt, Israel and others to receive aid and deliver it to people who need it. This is exactly why Ambassador Satterfield took on this task. The President appointed him today. “He will be on site tomorrow to work out all the technical details so we can move this forward,” he said. (UAV)