By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin his two-day visit in Türkiye as part of his Middle East tour, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. Prior to visiting Türkiye, Blinken meets with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan to shore up the situation in Gaza and hear their demands for an immediate ceasefire. Though Blinken was in Israel on Thursday urging more protection for civilians, his request fell on deaf ears with Israeli officials. On his Turkish visit, the State Department said Blinken will “underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel and the Gaza Strip.” He is also expected to discuss “our shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza” as well as ensuring Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza.”
Blinken is also expected to discuss solutions to “stem violence, calm rhetoric, redce regional tensions” and get everyone on board to work toward a “durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East to include the establishment of a Palestinian state.”Meanwhile, on Saturday, Turkish President Erdogan announced that he is breaking all contact with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu because of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials will be traveling with Blinken and though the State Department didn’t confirm Blinken and Erdogan would meet, the officials traveling with him indicated that’s likely to happen. Blinken is expected to also put Ukraine and Sweden on the agenda in discussions since the Turkish Parliament received a bid to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession request.
