Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Tel Aviv this morning to convey the support of the United States Government to the Israeli authorities. During his visit, he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and senior members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
"I am in Israel today to make one thing clear: the United States stands with Israel and its people, and we will always be - resolutely - against terrorism," the Secretary of State wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
I’m in Israel today to make one thing clear: The United States stands with Israel and its people, and we will always stand — resolutely — against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/25KCfkjp3S
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 12, 2023
Blinken departed from Andrews Air Force Base, located in Maryland. Upon his arrival in Israel and accompanied by a strong security detail, he was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, who thanked the federal Administration and the Americans for the support they are giving them:
Welcome to Israel my friend Antony Blinken. I want to thank President Joe Biden, the American people, and you for your unwavering support. We will never forget it!
Welcome to Israel my friend Tony @SecBlinken! I want to thank @POTUS Biden, the American people and you for the unwavering support. We will never forget it! 🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/TzLjPIPd5P
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) October 12, 2023
Hours before his arrival, Blinken held conversations with Herzog and with the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, to reaffirm the commitment that the United States has with Israel:
I spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog today to reaffirm the United States remains steadfast in its support of Israel and its right to defend itself.
I spoke with Israeli President @Isaac_Herzog today to reaffirm the United States remains steadfast in its support for Israel and its right to defend itself.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 10, 2023
Meeting with Netanyahu
At noon, Blinken and Netanyahu met in Tel Aviv. At the end of the meeting, they held a press appearance in which the U.S. Secretary of State again reiterated his support for Israel.
#ÚLTIMAHORA | Blinken se reunió con Netanyahu: "Mientras Estados Unidos exista, nunca estarán solos". https://t.co/X97LSayVhQ
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) October 12, 2023
The Israeli Prime Minister reciprocated with thanks. "Thank you for your important visit here today. Thank you, thanks to President Biden, and thank you to the American people for your incredible support for Israel in our war against the barbarians of Hamas," Netanyahu stated. "Hamas has shown itself to be an enemy of civilization. The massacring of young people at an outdoor music festival, the butchering of entire families, the murder of parents in front of their children and the murder of children in front of their parents. The burning of people alive. The beheadings. The kidnappings – of a young boy, not only kidnapped, molested, hurt, attacked. President Biden was absolutely correct in calling this sheer evil."
The Israeli prime minister added that "Hamas is ISIS, and just as ISIS was crushed, so too should Hamas be crushed. And Hamas should be treated exactly as ISIS was treated."
The press appearance ended with a handshake and a hug as a sign of America's strong commitment to Israel.
