Blinken to visit occupied Palestine - including West Bank - Morocco, Algeria
3 Min Read
The visit will include discussions over Russia's operation in Ukraine, Iran's nuclear deal, and normalization agreements.
-
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
The State Department declared on Thursday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting occupied Palestine, including the West Bank, as well as Morocco and Algeria between March 26 and 30 in order to tackle several issues, such as the Ukraine crisis, normalization agreements, and Iran.
Blinken will separately meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the occupied territories, while in Morocco, he will meet UAE's de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
According to the State Department Spokesman Ned Price, the officials will discuss "the Russian government's war on Ukraine, Iran's destabilizing activities, the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements with Israel, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and preserving the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
This comes following the United States' imminent deal with Iran to revive the 2015 accord limiting Tehran's nuclear development program in exchange for sanctions removal on the country.
Read more: Nuclear Negotiations: Iran’s Steadfastness Paying Off
Bennett had expressed in February his fear of Iran's growing power and its influence on the interests and existence of "Israel", speculating that the new deal will be "shorter and weaker" than the previous one.
The US Secretary of State's visit to Morocco comes as the United Arab Emirates displays growing political influence in the region, showing an open door to "Israel" and at the same time trying to maintain steady relations with Iran.
An example of such influence is the Syrian President's first visit to an Arab state since the war on Syria started in 2011, as he met with Dubai's ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, signaling a shift in the region as several Arab countries are resuming relations with Assad.
Consequently, the US seemed "troubled" and disappointed by the Syrian President's visit to the United Arab Emirate.
US' visit to Morocco, Algeria required amid gas crisis
In Morocco, Blinken will see his counterpart Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra for discussions on commercial relations and regional security.
Algeria, a supplier of natural gas to Europe, plays a crucial role following Russia's last month's special military operation in Ukraine which suspended the Nord Stream 2 project between Russia and Germany.
Blinken's announced visit comes after a tripartite summit between the Egyptian President, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the Israeli Prime Minister.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received in Sharm El-Sheikh the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), and the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, according to the Presidency's Spokesperson, Bassam Rady.
"This trilateral meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh is aimed against Iran," Israeli media reported, noting that the three parties had coordinated this visit at a prior time in light of talks about the Iranian nuclear deal.
The summit comes following Emirati rapprochement with Iran and Russia.
