US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt Wednesday as he pressed ahead with a diplomatic mission aimed at shoring up a ceasefire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas terrorist group.
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Blinken landed in Cairo a day after holding intensive talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. In Egypt, he met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and other top officials, before traveling to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II.
Blinken described Egypt and Jordan as central players in trying to bring calm to the region.
"Egypt played a critical role in helping to broker the ceasefire and Jordan has long been a voice for peace and stability in the region," he told reporters late Tuesday.
Blinken has set modest goals for the trip, his first official visit to the Middle East as secretary of state. During talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday, he made clear that the US has no immediate plans to pursue peace talks between the sides, though he expressed hope for creating a "better environment" that might lead to negotiations.
One of the US goals is to ensure that any assistance be kept out of the hands of Hamas, which opposes Israel's right to exist and which Israel and the US consider a terrorist group.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was in Israel on Wednesday to build on the momentum of Blinken's visit.
Echoing Blinken's message, Raab said the UK supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas rocket fire and would seek to prevent aid money from reaching Hamas. But he also expressed hope that ceasefire efforts would lead to a broader regional peace effort.
"We want to support Israel but we also want the Palestinians to find a track towards an enduring peace," he said.
Blinken said the US is trying to bolster the rival government of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces were ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007.
In a gesture to the Palestinians, Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem and nearly $40 million in additional aid. In all, the Biden administration has pledged some $360 million to the Palestinians.
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