US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv today. Before his trip, the State Department said he was going to Israel to “reiterate US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism … work to secure the immediate release of hostages, increase the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians, and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
To this point, the United States has publicly expressed support for Israel’s security while privately urging the Israeli government to take every action possible to minimize harm to the Palestinians caught in the crossfire. The Biden administration has also urged the Israeli government to advance slowly into Gaza to allow time for diplomacy that might minimize the loss of life on both sides. On Thursday, Biden made these private pleas public with a request that Israel and Hamas militants “pause” fighting to allow time to free hostages held in Gaza, though he stopped short of expressing support for a formal cease-fire.
We can expect that both Biden’s and Blinken’s requests will be refused and that the White House will keep trying. Secretary Blinken will continue his eight-day road trip with stops in Jordan, Japan, South Korea, and India.