Blinken invokes Jewish ancestry in address to grieving Israeli public
- 7 months ago
#englishnews #antonyblinken
News Article :-
Secretary of State Antony Blinken invoked his Jewish ancestry on Thursday in a markedly personal appeal to the Israeli public aimed at offering solidarity as the country reeled from the deadliest assault in its 75-year history.
“I come before you not only as the United States secretary of state but also as a Jew,” Blinken told an audience at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
“My grandfather Maurice Blinken fled pogroms in Russia. My stepfather Samuel Pisar survived concentration camps,” he said. “I understand on a personal level the harrowing echoes that Hamas’s massacres carry for Israeli Jews and, indeed, for Jews everywhere.”
Blinken stood beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who offered his gratitude to Blinken and the American public for its “incredible support for Israel in our war against the barbarians of Hamas.”
Blinken’s unequivocal support for Israel came amid growing international calls to manage the deteriorating humanitarian situation stemming from Israel’s airstrikes and shutdown of Gaza.
The top U.S. diplomat is on a multicountry swing through the Middle East in an effort to manage the swirling crisis as Israel vows to annihilate Hamas in response to the group’s devastating assault on Israeli communities.
In Gaza, where resources are dwindling after Israel ordered a total blockade earlier this week, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres urged the allowance of “rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
“Crucial lifesaving supplies — including fuel, food and water — must be allowed into Gaza,” he said.
Gaza will not receive water or electricity until hostages are set free, Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz said Thursday. Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, this weekend is believed to have taken more than 100 hostages from Israel over the border. Their fate remains unclear.
On his visit, Blinken brought one of his top aides for hostage negotiations, Steven Gillen, who will remain in Israel to keep working to free the U.S. hostages, Blinken told reporters at a news conference.
At least 25 Americans have been killed following Hamas’s assault on Saturday, said Blinken, but U.S. officials have declined to say how many Americans have been taken hostage.
During his visit, Blinken met Lior Gelbaum, 24, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who survived the dance rave in southern Israel that was attacked by Hamas militants. In an emotional exchange, Gelbaum told Blinken it was a “miracle” she survived, and urged the United States and Israel to focus on saving the hostages.
Blinken said the Biden administration is also in conversations with the Israelis and Egyptians to provide safe passage to civilians in Gaza before a widely expected Israeli ground invasion of the enclave.
The densely populated Gaza Strip relies on Israel for most of its electricity and other basic services. Severing gas and power from the territo
News Article :-
Secretary of State Antony Blinken invoked his Jewish ancestry on Thursday in a markedly personal appeal to the Israeli public aimed at offering solidarity as the country reeled from the deadliest assault in its 75-year history.
“I come before you not only as the United States secretary of state but also as a Jew,” Blinken told an audience at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
“My grandfather Maurice Blinken fled pogroms in Russia. My stepfather Samuel Pisar survived concentration camps,” he said. “I understand on a personal level the harrowing echoes that Hamas’s massacres carry for Israeli Jews and, indeed, for Jews everywhere.”
Blinken stood beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who offered his gratitude to Blinken and the American public for its “incredible support for Israel in our war against the barbarians of Hamas.”
Blinken’s unequivocal support for Israel came amid growing international calls to manage the deteriorating humanitarian situation stemming from Israel’s airstrikes and shutdown of Gaza.
The top U.S. diplomat is on a multicountry swing through the Middle East in an effort to manage the swirling crisis as Israel vows to annihilate Hamas in response to the group’s devastating assault on Israeli communities.
In Gaza, where resources are dwindling after Israel ordered a total blockade earlier this week, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres urged the allowance of “rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
“Crucial lifesaving supplies — including fuel, food and water — must be allowed into Gaza,” he said.
Gaza will not receive water or electricity until hostages are set free, Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz said Thursday. Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, this weekend is believed to have taken more than 100 hostages from Israel over the border. Their fate remains unclear.
On his visit, Blinken brought one of his top aides for hostage negotiations, Steven Gillen, who will remain in Israel to keep working to free the U.S. hostages, Blinken told reporters at a news conference.
At least 25 Americans have been killed following Hamas’s assault on Saturday, said Blinken, but U.S. officials have declined to say how many Americans have been taken hostage.
During his visit, Blinken met Lior Gelbaum, 24, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who survived the dance rave in southern Israel that was attacked by Hamas militants. In an emotional exchange, Gelbaum told Blinken it was a “miracle” she survived, and urged the United States and Israel to focus on saving the hostages.
Blinken said the Biden administration is also in conversations with the Israelis and Egyptians to provide safe passage to civilians in Gaza before a widely expected Israeli ground invasion of the enclave.
The densely populated Gaza Strip relies on Israel for most of its electricity and other basic services. Severing gas and power from the territo