Blinken heads to Middle East amid spike in Israeli-Palestinian tension
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks at the State Department, Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington. Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend in his first trip to the Middle East this year. It comes amid an escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence, US concerns over the direction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government and ongoing issues with Egypt’s human rights record.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Egypt and onward to visit Palestinian and Israeli officials. He will arrive on the heels of an Israeli counterinsurgency raid that killed at least two civilians and ratcheted up tensions on either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited South Africa this week. South Africa is planning on holding joint military drills with China and Russia on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Also, 23 Jewish doctors forced to stay in the Warsaw Ghetto documented what starvation does to the body. Their book was recently rediscovered by a Tufts University professor. Plus, happy birthday to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born on Jan. 27, 1756.