The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washingtons support for Israel as the country starts its ground offence on Gaza to eliminate Hamas on Thursday before flying to Israel. He also expressed concern for the Palestinian civilians and said that while Israel has the right to defend itself, it also has the responsibility to protect its civilians.Blinken said that hell seek concrete measures from Israel to minimize harm to Gaza civilians as he is set to make his second trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.Spoke with EU High Representative @JosepBorrellF today and reaffirmed Israels right to defend itself. I underscored our priorities of protecting civilian lives, delivering humanitarian aid, and ensuring the safe departure of foreign citizens from Gaza.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 2, 2023 Anthony Blinken ahead of Israel visit While speaking to reporters before he flew out of Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, Blinken said “Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself and to try to make sure what happened never happens again. No country would tolerate the slaughter of their civilians.”“We stand behind that but as democracies, US, and Israel have responsibilities to protect civilians who are caught in harms way, he added. Blinken on Gaza civilian deaths While talking about the civilian rights in Gaza, Blinkin said “We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza.”This is something that the United States is committed to, he further added.When I see a Palestinian child -- a boy, a girl -- pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else, Blinken said.Blinken also added that this is something that the US must respond to and it will. Blinkens Israel visit Anthony Blinken will visit six nations on his trip including Israel, Jordan, Japan, South Korea and lastly, India.In his Israel visit, he will reiterate the USs support for Israels right to self-defence against terrorism and also discuss efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.On my way to Tel Aviv for more diplomacy during an incredibly challenging time. We will continue to work with regional leaders to protect civilians and prevent the spread of conflict. We remain focused on two states and broader peace and security in the region. pic.twitter.com/V4wkXQXy6U— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 2, 2023Here, Blinken is also set to secure the immediate release of hostages captured by Hamas while also working on increasing the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians.Apart from this, the US State Secretary will also work towards preventing the escalation of the conflict. Blinken to visit India In his visit to India, Blinken will be accompanied by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. They will be meeting Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior Indian officials.In their India visit, they will have discussions on both bilateral relations as well as global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific.
