U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has once again left the Middle East empty-handed.
LIVE RADAR: The Weather Authority is tracking scattered spotty showers through the dayU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks before departing at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday March 22, 2024. – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday once again left the Middle East empty-handed as Israel’s prime minister rejected American appeals to call off a promised ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is overflowing with displaced civilians.
Blinken, wrapping up his sixth visit to the Mideast since the war broke out, told reporters that the U.S. shares Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas. The U.S. position on a Rafah operation has shifted in recent days. Initially, U.S. officials called for a plan for getting civilians out of harm’s way. Now, they say there is no credible way to do that.
The U.S. will share its ideas for alternatives at next week's meetings, when a delegation led by Netanyahu’s national security adviser and a member of Israel’s War Cabinet heads to Washington. Israel’s defense minister, another member of the War Cabinet, will also visit.The U.S. wants the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority – which Hamas ousted from Gaza in 2007 – to return to power in the territory, along with a clear path toward an independent Palestinian state beside Israel.
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