Blinken headed to Mideast as US alarm over violence grows
By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend amid a sharp spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence that has alarmed the Biden administration. Blinken’s visit to Israel has been planned for some weeks, but a deadly Israeli raid on a West Bank refugee camp that the Palestinians say killed nine people will likely dominate his talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah. The Biden administration is urging both sides to de-escalate tensions in the wake of the raid and decried a Palestinian announcement that they would cut off all security cooperation with Israel as a result.
