The joint statements by Mr. Blinken and Mr. Bennett, in Jerusalem, highlighted Iran's role in the region as well as Israeli-Palestinian relations. In particular, Bennett expressed his concern if the Revolutionary Guards[/B] were to be removed from the list of international terrorist organisations as a result of the negotiations between the West and Iran in Vienna on the control of the Tehran government's nuclear programme.
On this occasion, the Israeli Prime Minister referred to the recent missile attacks by Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels against Saudi oil installations, wanting to emphasize Iran's role in the region.
He also referred to his government's policy towards the Palestinians, claiming that life for residents in the West Bank and Gaza has improved. "Today alone, 20,000 Palestinian residents of Gaza have been granted work permits in Israel and a 38 million shekel budget has been approved to improve the infrastructure of the land crossings between Israel and Gaza," he said.
Naftali Bennett referred to his mediation efforts to resolve the Ukrainian issue, stating that "tIsrael remains on the side of the people of Ukraine and will continue its efforts in order to end the bloodshed," highlighting the open-air hospital established by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the Health Ministry inside Ukrainian territory between the town of Lviv and the Ukraine-Poland border.
For his part, Anthony Blinken said that for the US, Israel's security is a firm commitment and that "whether or not an agreement is reached with Iran, the US will continue to work closely with its regional partners to counter Iran's destabilizing behavior in the region."
He described as "very important" Israeli mediation efforts between Kiev and Moscow, as well as the provision of Israeli humanitarian aid to Western Ukraine. He reiterated U.S. support for the "two nations, two states" principle for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and described Israeli ministers' contacts with senior Palestinian Authority officials as "extremely positive."
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
