U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Visits Israel Amid Escalating Violence and Political Tensions
Source The Biden administration is facing a new challenge in the form of rising violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The latest spate of deadly incidents has further complicated the trip of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region, where he is expected to discuss de-escalation with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Blinken’s trip comes after a weekend of deadly shootings by Palestinian attackers that killed seven Israelis and wounded five others in Jerusalem, as well as a raid by the Israeli military in the West Bank on Thursday that killed 10 Palestinians. The violence has made January one of the bloodiest months in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in several years. Blinken’s trip marks the first high-level engagement with Netanyahu since his return to power and the surge in violence. The Biden administration is already grappling with the new Israeli government’s far-right policies and its opposition to a t