Blinken: Do Not Inflame Tensions
Blinken: Do Not Inflame Tensions. According to Iran Gate, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed at Tel Aviv’s international airport in Israel after a brief trip to Egypt. Blinken stated that he arrived at a critical moment and condemned Palestinian attacks on Israeli citizens but said that seeking revenge on other innocent victims is not an appropriate response to these attacks.
He also added that retaliatory violence against civilians is never acceptable. Referring to the Friday attack that resulted in the death of seven people outside a Jerusalem synagogue, Antony Blinken said that taking an innocent human life in a terrorist act is always a heinous crime, but targeting people outside their place of worship is a shocking act, and we strongly condemn it.
He further stated that we condemn with the utmost firmness all those who celebrate these terrorist acts and similar ones that result in civilian deaths, regardless of who the victim is or what belief they hold. It is everyone’s responsibility to take steps to calm the situation and resolve the crisis instead of inflaming tensions.
Blinken said in a statement at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that this is the only way to stop the rising wave of violence that has claimed the lives of many Israelis and Palestinians so far.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, I thank the Secretary of State for America’s commitment to regional stability, for the clear message against terrorism after landing in Israel, and for expressing willingness to expand the Abraham Accords and a firm stance against Iran.
At the end of the meeting with Netanyahu, the U.S. Secretary of State said, We have agreed that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Regarding the Palestinian issue, Blinken reiterated that the United States is committed to the vision of two independent states and that it is now necessary to take fundamental measures and actions to reduce tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. We have shared interests and shared values. We are two strong democracies, and I promise you that we will remain so.
He added that expanding the circle of peace, referring to the Abraham Accords, will also be beneficial for achieving a manageable solution with the Palestinians. The U.S. Secretary of State then recalled the current confrontation in Israel over judicial system reforms and continued by saying what makes our partnership and cooperation very strong are our shared values, especially support for democratic institutions and values, defending human rights and minorities, the rule of law, freedom of the press, and a strong civil society.