US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Israel on Saturday for a visit to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. Blinken will then head to Morocco and Algeria to consult with officials there on a series of regional and global issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, Iran's efforts to destabilize the region, the Abraham Accords that normalized ties between Arab states and Israel, Israeli-Palestinian ties, and maintaining the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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The top US diplomat will meet with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister, and Prime Minister-designate, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and President Isaac Herzog. While in Israel, Blinken is expected to emphasize Washington's unwavering commitment to the Jewish state's security and discuss Israeli-Palestinian issues as well as regional and international challenges with government officials. Additionally, Blinken will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and representatives of Palestinian civil society. In those meetings, Blinken will emphasize the importance of bolstering US-Palestinian ties and the advancement of freedom, security, and prosperity for the Palestinian people, the US Embassy in Israel said in a statement.
In Rabat, Blinken will meet with Moroccan Foreign Nasser Bourita and other government officials to discuss regional issues such as the advancement of human rights and basic freedoms. While in the Moroccan capital, Blinken will also meet with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss regional security and developments around the globe.
The US secretary of state will then depart for Algeria, where he will meet with that country's President Abdelmadjid Tebboun and Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra for talks on security and stability in the region, cooperation on trade, the promotion of human rights and basic freedoms, as well as other issues of mutual concern. He will also meet with American business representatives to discuss in depth bilateral economic ties and the promotion of trade and investments between Algiers and Washington, as the US is poised to serve as the guest of honor at the 2022 Algerian International Economic Fair.
On his trip, Blinken will emphasize to foreign leaders that the US stands in solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin's aggression and that Washington will continue to work closely will its allies and partners to impose further sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his enablers if the Russian leader fails to chart a different course.
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