Antony Blinken

US Voices Opposition to Rafah Offensive to Israeli Defense Chief

US top diplomat Antony Blinken once again warned Israel against the risks of an offensive in Rafah, reiterating US opposition to such an operation, in a meeting on Monday with Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised US opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah with Israel's Defense Minister on Monday ...

Israel Seizes Record Land Area in West Bank Amid Blinken's Visit

Israel reported the seizure of 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land in the West Bank on Friday, deemed as "state lands" by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, marking the largest such action in decades. Israel reported Friday the seizure of 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land in the occupied West Bank, which activists called the largest action of its ...

Blinken Calls an All-Out Israeli Offensive on Rafah 'A Mistake'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a major military operation by Israel in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah would be "a mistake." Blinken called on Thursday the looming ground offensive "unnecessary" in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, adding, "There is a better way to deal with the ongoing threat ...

Blinken Resumes Middle East Tour and Calls for a Ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his tour of the Middle East on Wednesday, his sixth visit to the region since October 7. The aim is to reach an agreement for a temporary pause in the fighting in order to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas. During his tour of the Middle East, Antony Blinken met Saudi leaders in Jeddah on ...

Unprecedented Move: US Resolution Calling For Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

The US has presented a revised UN Security Council resolution, on Thursday, calling for an "immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages." The United States has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages" in the Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken ...

Blinken Begins Mideast Tour as Israel Presses Al-Shifa Raid

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Wednesday in the Middle East, to strengthen endeavors for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, while Israeli forces continued their raid on the largest hospital in the territory. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down Wednesday in the Middle East to bolster efforts for a truce in ...

Blinken Denounces Gaza’s Hunger Crisis

The whole population of Gaza is suffering a "situation of serious food insecurity," denounced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, March 19. He's expected to start his sixth Middle East tour since the start of the war. The entire population of Gaza is experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity," US Secretary of State Antony ...

Blinken Discusses Ceasefire Efforts With Bahrain Crown Prince

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama on Saturday for Gaza ceasefire hostage release talks, in addition to Houthi attacks on the Red Sea. Blinken and the Crown discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire of at least six weeks in Gaza as part of an ...

Blinken Says 'Ball in Court' of Hamas on Ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that it remained up to Hamas to accept a ceasefire with Israel, as hopes dimmed for a new truce in the five-month-old war. "The issue is Hamas," Blinken said, a day after President Joe Biden called in his State of the Union address for an "immediate" six-week truce that would allow humanitarian aid ...

Sweden Joins NATO, Ending Non-Alignment in Ukraine War

Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO in the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, turning the page on two centuries of non-alignment and capping two years of torturous diplomacy. Days after Hungary followed key holdout Turkey and became the last NATO member to sign off, Sweden ceremonially handed over accession documents to the ...

Biden Urges Hamas to Accept Ceasefire by Ramadan

US President Joe Biden urged Hamas on Tuesday to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, while the Palestinian militant group cautioned that negotiations for a truce and hostage release cannot continue indefinitely. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on Hamas to accept a Gaza ceasefire deal by the month of Ramadan, while the Palestinian militant ...

Blinken Asks Hamas to Accept 'Ceasefire'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas on Tuesday to agree to an "immediate ceasefire" with Israel, while the militants engaged in talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas on Tuesday to accept an "immediate ceasefire" with Israel as the militants met Qatari and Egyptian ...