US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials aimed at ensuring that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds.
This will be Blinken’s first trip to the region as America’s top diplomat. The trip comes just days after the end of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. His three-day visit will also include stops in Ramallah, Cairo and Amman.
The Secretary will also work to help kickstart efforts to rehabilitate Gaza, while preventing international aid from reaching the enclave’s ruling Hamas terror group.
Welcome to Israel, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken!@SecBlinken was received at Ben Gurion International Airport by Israel’s Foreign Minister @Gabi_Ashkenazi. 🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/j6W0dfDM8a
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 25, 2021
Though Blinken and the State Department did not say Iran was on his agenda, Israeli officials plan to raise the issue during his visit.
Blinken’s arrival comes just before the fifth round of indirect negotiations between the US and the Islamic Republic to return to the 2015 Iran deal. In 2018, then-US president Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed crippling sanctions. Tehran subsequently ramped up its nuclear activities.
At a ceremony held in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed David Barnea as the next Mossad chief. During the event, the premier focused on the one issue that dominated the tenure of outgoing Mossad director Yossi Cohen’s tenure as head of the spy agency: the Islamic Republic of Iran.
With many Mossad members in attendance, Netanyahu said: “The first task of each one of you is to prevent Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons,” adding that “there may be a situation where our ultimate goal – to ensure that the ayatollahs do not stop the millennial existence of the Jewish people – will require us to make courageous and independent decisions. The State of Israel will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons.”
David Barnea, 56, was Mossad’s deputy chief and is a long-time veteran of the intelligence agency. He was recruited to the spy agency in 1996 and rose through the ranks, eventually leading several Mossad operations, both in Israel and overseas.
Former US State Department official Thomas Nides has reportedly accepted an offer from US President Biden to serve as the next US ambassador to Israel. The White House is set to announce the nomination in the coming weeks.
Nides previously served as deputy secretary of state during the Obama presidency, and the Biden Administration does not expect significant opposition to his nomination in the US Senate.
During his tenure as deputy secretary, Nides played a crucial role in the US approval of an extension on loan guarantees to Israel worth billions of dollars. At the same time, he also lobbied against Congressional efforts to limit US assistance to such controversial organizations as UNWRA.
President Biden is slated to send senior diplomat Michael Ratney to Jerusalem next month to head the US mission until the permanent ambassador is confirmed, local media reported.
Major US airlines said they will resume flights to Israel in the coming week, as the Hamas-Israel ceasefire seems to be holding. Specifically, United, Delta, and American Airlines announced that they plan to commence flights to Tel Aviv.
Between May 10 and May 21, Gaza-based terror groups fired thousands of rockets at Israel, reigniting the conflict with Israel. Missiles also hit central Israel, including the area of Ben Gurion International Airport. Many airlines subsequently suspended flights to and from the Jewish state, affecting both tourism and cargo delivery.
American Airlines already restarted its New York-Tel Aviv route on Monday. A Delta spokesperson said the airline would “closely monitor the security situation and will make adjustments to our flight schedules as necessary.”
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Recommended Reading
- Israel Actually Got It Right (Akiva Bigman, Israel Hayom)
- Analysts: Arab States Are ‘Washing Their Hands’ of Palestinians (Andrew E. Harrod, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Refuting 15 Anti-Israel Lies (David Harris, Algemeiner)
- Redefining Iran’s Role in its Latest ‘Shadow War’ Against Israel (Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
