Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East
Joe Biden is traveling to the Middle East amid tensions caused by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
This Wednesday, the President of the United States has a risky visit to Israel, which is preparing to intensify its offensive against Hamas militants.
It’s perhaps Biden’s most complex trip, taking place in the midst of a crisis that has escalated tensions between Middle Eastern countries and the rest of the world.
Israel has tightened its measures and aims to eliminate the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, following an attack by Islamist gunmen that resulted in the deaths of 1,300 people, mostly civilians, during an assault on southern Israeli cities on October 7th, the deadliest day in Israel’s 75-year history.
Israel has conducted airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of over 2,800 Palestinians, with one-fourth of them being children.
Approximately half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced from their homes. Israel has also imposed a complete blockade on the enclave, which has caused a shortage of essential supplies, including food, fuel, and medicine.
Dozens of trucks carrying vital supplies for Gaza headed to the Rafah border crossing in Egypt on Tuesday, the only access point to the enclave not under Israel’s control.
However, there were no clear signs that they could enter.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv early on Tuesday, announcing that President Biden would visit Israel.
Blinken stated, “The President will hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people as we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs.”
Washington is also trying to persuade Arab states to help prevent a broader regional war after Iran pledged “preemptive action” from the “resistance front” of its allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Joe Biden is traveling to the Middle East amid tensions
After visiting Israel, President Biden is scheduled to travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
He will also meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-governance in the West Bank, occupied by Israel, but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza on Tuesday and condemned the airstrikes on medical centers, hospitals, journalists, and schools.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told a group of students that “no one can stand up to the Muslims and the forces of resistance if the Zionist regime’s crimes against the Palestinians continue.”
Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East aims to negotiate with Israel to allow humanitarian aid access to Gaza and with Egypt to permit the exit of Gaza residents with foreign passports through Rafah.
Cairo has stated that Israel’s attitude is preventing the opening of the border crossing.
While declaring unwavering support for Israel, Washington is pressuring Israel to restrain the severity of its response to Hamas attacks and prevent the crisis from escalating into a conflict involving other regional countries.
Iran warned on the same Monday that Hezbollah could launch a preemptive attack “in the coming hours.“
Also read: Congress avoids the partial budgetary shutdown the United States.
