Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly disagreed with Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers Saturday on calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to NBC News.
Blinken recently visited Israel and Jordan to discuss the conflict, which began on Oct. 7 after terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. While Blinken and his counterparts — Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi — agreed on the need to achieve a peaceable settlement between the opposing parties, they disagreed on calls for a ceasefire, which both Israel and the United States have opposed as being to the advantage of Hamas, according to NBC News.
“It’s our view that cease-fire now would simply leave Hamas in place able to regroup and repeat Oct. 7,” Blinken reportedly said. “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
⚡️ The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Palestine have gathered in Amman to present a unified Arab position on Palestine to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
– via @SputnikInt pic.twitter.com/JpyOraR3Qe— Bhavika Kapoor ✋ (@BhavikaKapoor5) November 4, 2023
Shoukry demanded a ceasefire “without any conditions,” while also accusing Israel of violating international law and allegedly blocking deliveries of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, NBC reported. Safadi called for a two-state solution to be considered.
Blinken deleted a tweet calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas shortly after the conflict began. The tweet described his phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and was later removed without explanation from the secretary.
The Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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