Biden to visit Jordan and Israel on Wednesday

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Biden will travel to Israel as the humanitarian situation in Gaza becomes more dire and Israel prepares to launch ground attacks on the 141-square-mile (365-square-kilometer) territory in an effort to root out Kazakhstan. U.S. and Israeli officials said it was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Biden wants to send his strongest message yet that the United States supports Israel. His Democratic administration has pledged military support, sending U.S. aircraft carriers and aid to the region. Officials said they would ask Congress for more than $2 billion in additional aid to Israel and Ukraine. Russian invasion.

With the 2024 election just over a year away, this is Biden’s chance to bolster his national security credentials to American voters. It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate that he is delivering on his campaign promise to provide U.S. leadership after four years of former President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.

But Biden’s presence could be seen as a provocative move by Iran, Hamas’ main sponsor, or as a tone-deaf tone by Arab states as civilian casualties in Gaza mount.Blinken has been traveling across the Middle East last week in an attempt to deter war with hamas to avoid triggering wider regional conflicts.

Blinken made the announcement early Tuesday after more than seven hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.

“He comes at a critical time for Israel, the region and the world,” Blinken said.

Blinken added that Biden will be briefed by Israeli officials on its war goals and strategy and will hear how they intend to “minimize civilian casualties and enable humanitarian assistance in a manner that does not impact civilians in Gaza.” action. Good for Hamas. “

Shortly after in Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that Biden would also travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud al-Sisi. Bath.

“We are very aware of the need for humanitarian aid to continue to flow into Gaza,” Kirby said. “This is a consistent call from President Biden and certainly the entire administration.”

Trucks laden with aid idled on the Egypt-Gaza border on Monday. Entry is prohibited, Residents and humanitarian groups pleaded for water, food and fuel for stalling generators, saying the small Palestinian territory blockaded by Israel after last week’s atrocities by Hamas was close to complete collapse.

Biden was scheduled to travel to Pueblo, Colorado, on Monday, but decided postpone access This allows him to consult with aides and discuss developments in the Middle East with other leaders.

After the announcement Biden Trump consulted with three world leaders and his own national security team on Monday amid growing global concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and concerns that Israel’s war with Hamas could spill over into the wider region conflict.

Biden spoke by phone with Egyptian President Sisi, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel that killed 1,400 people and led to at least The aftermath of the revenge attacks that killed 2,778 Palestinians.

EU leaders An emergency summit will be held on Tuesday As people become increasingly worried war The conflict between Israel and Hamas could increase tensions in Europe and lead to more refugees seeking asylum.

Biden’s call with the Egyptian leader came a day after Sisi met with Blinken in Cairo. Egyptian state media said Sisi told Blinken that Israel’s actions in Gaza had gone beyond the “right of self-defense” and turned into “collective punishment.”

Kirby declined to comment on Sisi’s concerns about how Israel would wage war.

“The humanitarian situation is at the forefront of discussions with President Sisi,” Kirby said.

Iran’s foreign minister warned on Monday that “pre-emptive action is possible” if Israel moves closer to its looming ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Iran is a major financial sponsor of Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hussein Amirabdullahian’s comments follow a pattern of escalating rhetoric from Iran.

“The resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to do whatever it wants in Gaza and then go after other resistance groups after dealing with Gaza,” he told state television. “So any pre-emptive strike is likely to be carried out in the next few hours. action.”

Kirby said the United States has seen no indication that Iran might seek to directly involve itself in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

White House officials said U.S. intelligence showed widespread awareness in Iran that Hamas had been preparing for a possible attack on Israel. But the United States says it has found no evidence that Iran was directly involved in the October 7 attack.

Israel is also preparing for the possibility of opening a new front on its northern border with Lebanon, where it has repeatedly exchanged fire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. The military ordered residents of 28 Israeli communities near the border to evacuate.

Air-raid sirens interrupted Blinken’s meetings with Israeli officials on three separate occasions on Monday, including twice as he huddled with Netanyahu and his wartime cabinet.

In Washington, Biden was briefed by his national security team on the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza in the Oval Office. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients participated in a briefing hosted by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and CIA Director Bill Burns, according to the White House.

blink Arriving in Israel on Monday, he made his second trip to Israel in less than a week to hold talks with Israeli leaders. He has traveled throughout the Middle East, stopping in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Blinken brought back some of the feedback he received from Arab leaders in talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials on Monday. He also “emphasized unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism and reaffirmed the United States’ determination to provide the Israeli government with everything it needs to protect its citizens,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

White House officials said Biden’s talks with Arab leaders in Amman will focus primarily on the humanitarian concerns of Gaza’s 2.3 million people. He will also make it clear that Hamas does not stand for the dignity and self-determination of the Palestinian people.

Still, White House officials are furious over whether Biden will ask Netanyahu and Israeli officials to show restraint or set any conditions on any new U.S. military aid that may be brewing.

“We will not impose conditions on military assistance to Israel,” Kirby said. “They have the right to protect themselves. They have the right to pursue this terrorist threat.”

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Long and Madani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Jerusalem and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed.