(January 24, 2023 / JNS) U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next week, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas and other high-ranking officials.

The meetings are expected to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian nuclear threat.

Netanyahu met on Thursday in Jerusalem with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the highest-level Biden administration official to visit Israel since the Nov. 1 Knesset election.

The two men discussed Iran’s nuclear program and ways to broaden the Trump administration-brokered Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between the Jewish state and four Arab countries. An emphasis was placed on expanding relations with Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu expressed gratitude for U.S. President Joe Biden’s commitment to stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and stressed that the latest Palestinian moves in the international arena constituted an attack on Israel that demanded a response.

Photo: Reuters