Page 5 - Antony Blinken

Toll from Israeli army action in Gaza is still 'too high': Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the toll from Israel's military offensive on Gaza's civilians remains "too high". Blinken made the comments Wednesday as he was in the region seeking to broker a cease-fire that would pause the fighting. Blinken said the Israeli offensive, launched in response to a deadly Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, is "fully justified". But he expressed concern about the effects of the offensive on Gaza civilians. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting, and the offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and led to a humanitarian crisis. As I told the prime minister and other Israeli officials, the daily toll that its military operations continue to take on innocent civilians remains too high, Blinken said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas' terms for a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement, vowing to continue the war until absolute victory and dismissing any ...

Blinken to brief Israeli leaders on ceasefire, hostage talks as war rages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to meet Israeli leaders on Wednesday as Hamas suggested it was open to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, but both sides remain dug in on thus far elusive goals as the war enters its fifth month. The deadliest round of fighting in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed over 27,000 Palestinians, levelled entire neighbourhoods, driven the vast majority of Gaza's population from their homes, and pushed a quarter of the population to starvation. Iran-backed militant groups across the region have conducted attacks, mostly on US and Israeli targets, in solidarity with the Palestinians, drawing reprisals as the risk of a wider conflict grows. Israel remains deeply shaken by Hamas' Oct 7 attack, in which militants burst through the country's vaunted defenses and rampaged across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting some 250, around half of whom remain in captivity in Gaza. The Unit

Blinken meets Saudi crown prince amid heightened West Asia tensions

Blinken is also set to visit Egypt, Qatar and Israel this week and push to advance the Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated conversations with Hamas to achieve a hostage deal

Blinken heads to Middle East to hold negotiations on hostages, Gaza aid

Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank from February 4-8. It is his fifth trip to the region since the Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7

US aims to use Israel-Hamas deal to open more lasting regional peace talks

The senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken recently to McGurk and Burns about the talks

US Secretary of State Blinken congratulates India on its 75th Republic Day

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday congratulated the people of India on the country's 75th Republic Day and hoped to deepen the "vibrant people-to-people ties between our nations". In a statement, he said the past year has been marked by important milestones in "our Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership, including our cooperation throughout India's successful G20 Presidency and at the G20 Leaders' Summit". "In the year ahead, we look forward to further deepening the vibrant people-to-people ties between our countries and advancing our ambitious agenda for cooperation on our most vital priorities," he said. The US secretary of state said President Joe Biden has termed the United States' relationship with India "one of the most consequential in the world". "On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of India on India's Republic Day. The Constitution of India continues to provide an enduring framework for the world's largest democracy and

Blinken to visit Africa as crises continue to vex US foreign policy

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to visit four African countries as the Biden administration tries to keep its eyes on all corners of the world while being consumed by crises in Ukraine, the Mideast and the Red Sea. The State Department announced on Thursday that Blinken will go to Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola starting Sunday for talks focused on regional security, conflict prevention, democracy promotion and trade. Nigeria is West Africa's regional heavyweight and plays a major role in security issues, especially those involving Islamic extremist violence in the Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert. The trip will be his third overseas mission in the new year. He returned from a Gaza-focused, weeklong 10-nation trip to the Middle East last Thursday and a three-day trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Wednesday. Blinken's Africa trip comes as the United States is increasingly nervous about its relationships on the continent

US in demand, says Blinken as he mourns 'gutwrenching' scenes in Gaza

President Joe Biden's administration wanted to address could be tackled in isolation, echoing comments on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who called for greater global cooperation

India an extraordinary success story: US Secretary of State Blinken

Describing India as an "extraordinary success story", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the policies and programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been very beneficial to the people of India. Speaking here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, he also said US President Joe Biden and Modi enjoy excellent relations and their conversations cover all aspects, including US-India relations. Hailing the expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries, Blinken said the US and India are always in constant conversations and those cover all aspects, including on democracy and fundamental rights. "It's part of very sustained and very real conversation we have always had," he said. He was replying to a question on whether the rise of Hindu nationalism concerns India despite the country's robust economic growth and infrastructure building under the Modi regime.

Blinken meets Chinese, Japanese diplomats, seeks stability in Taiwan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a senior Chinese diplomat on Friday, as the Biden administration seeks to mitigate tensions over Taiwan as the island holds its presidential election. Blinken sat down with Liu Jianchao, the Chinese Communist Party's international minister. Hours later, he met with Yoko Kamikawa, the foreign minister of Japan, one of the United States' strongest allies in Asia. The Biden administration is seeking to keep down tensions in the Taiwan Strait if the governing Democratic Progressive Party, known to lean toward independence, should prevail in Saturday's election. Beijing, which considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory, has suggested to voters that they could be choosing between peace and war. The U.S. is not supporting any candidate in Taiwan's presidential election and plans to send an unofficial delegation to the island shortly after the election. In addition to Taiwan, Blinken and Kamikawa discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East

EAM Jaishankar, Blinken discuss Red Sea attacks, Gaza, Ukraine war

The United States has welcomed the "increased cooperation" with India in defending freedom of navigation in the Red Sea as the two countries discussed "shared concerns" over the reckless Houthi attacks in the region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Thursday and "discussed the United States and India's shared concerns over the reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law". State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken emphasised the Red Sea is a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade and "welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region". Jaishankar and Blinken also discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, efforts to prevent the escalation and increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. Blinken also

Blinken sees path to Gaza peace, reconstruction after his West Asia tour

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his latest urgent Mideast tour on Thursday in talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi as American officials claimed modest success in getting wide regional support for planning for reconstruction and governance in Gaza after Israel's war with Hamas ends. Blinken secured buy-in from previously reluctant Arab and Muslim nations to begin such planning in discussions with the leaders of Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over the weeklong mission, his fourth to the Middle East since the war began in October. Each country along with Greece, which Blinken also visited pledged to participate in the general planning, although precise contributions have yet to be determined. On our previous trips here, I think there was a reluctance to talk about some of the day-after issues in terms of long-term stability and security on a regional basis, Blinken told reporters at Cairo's airport after his .

US State Secy Blinken meets Palestinian leader Abbas in occupied West Bank

The visit came a day after talks on Tuesday with Israeli PM Netanyahu and his war cabinet over Israel's war with Hamas, regional tensions and the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Work with moderate Palestinian leaders to rebuild Gaza: Blinken asks Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Israel to work with moderate Palestinian leaders on plans for a post-war Gaza. Israel has so far ruled out calls to allow the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza and instead talked about maintaining open-ended military control over the territory. The US has said a revitalised authority should return to Gaza. Israel must stop taking steps that undercut the Palestinians' ability to govern themselves effectively, Blinken said Tuesday. The authority was ousted from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007. Israel must be a partner of the Palestinian leaders who are willing to lead their people and living side by side in peace with Israel, he added. He said Arab leaders across the region are ready to assist, but only through a regional approach that includes a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Keep hope of Palestinian state alive: Blinken brings Arab message to Israel

International concern has been growing over the huge Palestinian death toll from the Israeli assault on the enclave as well as a humanitarian crisis enveloping hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza

Blinken rallies Mideast leaders to prepare for Gaza's post-war future

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that four key Arab nations and Turkey have agreed to begin planning for the reconstruction and governance of Gaza once Israel's war against Hamas ends. Blinken, who is on an urgent Mideast mission aimed primarily at preventing the conflict from spreading as fears rise of a regional war, said Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would consider participating in and contributing to day after scenarios for the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by three months of deadly Israeli bombardment. Those countries had previously resisted U.S. calls for post-war planning to begin, insisting that there must first be a cease-fire and a sharp reduction in the civilian suffering caused by Israel's military response to Hamas' deadly October 7 attacks. On what is his fourth trip to the Mideast since the war began in October, Blinken said those countries were now open to such planning and that each would consid

Western allies seek rapid end to war in Gaza, Blinken holds talks

Israel kills Hezbollah commander in Beirut

Blinken meets Jordan's king and minister to keep Gaza war from spreading

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Sunday with Jordan's king and foreign minister and visited a World Food Programme warehouse in Amman as he pressed ahead with an urgent Middle East diplomatic mission to prevent Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza from spreading. On his fourth visit to the region in three months, Blinken stressed the need for Israel to adjust its military operations to reduce civilian casualties and significantly boost the amount of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza while highlighting the importance of preparing detailed plans for the post-conflict future of the territory, which has been decimated by intensive Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives. After a day of talks with Turkish and Greek leaders in Istanbul and Crete, Blinken met Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi seeking buy-in for US efforts to tamp down resurgent fears that the three-month-old war could engulf the region, ramp up aid deliveries to Gaza and prepare

Turkey committed to a positive role in postwar Gaza, says Antony Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Turkey is committed to playing a positive, productive role for postwar Gaza and prepared to use its influence in the region to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from broadening even more. The latest Mideast mission by America's top diplomat opened with talks in Turkey and Greece before shifting to the region for not necessarily easy conversations with allies and partners about what they are willing to do to build durable peace and security. Blinken's fourth visit in three months comes as developments in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful U.S. push to prevent a regional conflagration since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and as international criticism of Israel's military operation mounts. Blinken held meetings with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul about what Turkey and others can do to exert

Blinken holds talks with Turkey as he seeks to curb spread of Gaza war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkey's leaders Saturday during the first stop of his latest Mideast diplomatic mission as fears grow that Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza may expand into a broader conflict. Blinken's fourth visit in three months comes as developments in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful US push to prevent a regional conflagration since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and as international criticism of Israel's military operation mounts. Blinken held talks with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul about what Turkey and others can do to exert influence, particularly on Iran and its proxies, to ease tensions, speed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and begin planning for reconstruction and governance of postwar Gaza. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardments. Hours before Blinken's meeting