By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-09

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been talking with allies in the Middle East about how to deliver more aid into Gaza and cool tensions in order to prevent an escalation of the simmering conflict.

Blinken has been on a tour of the region and beyond since last Thursday (January 4), traveling and meeting with officials in Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

His trip also includes stops in Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.

"Everywhere I went, I found leaders who are determined to prevent the conflict that we're facing now from spreading, doing everything possible to deter escalation, to prevent a widening of the conflict," Blinken said during a news conference on Monday.

"The future of the region needs to be one of integration, not division and not conflict," he added.

In a meeting with Blinken Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed the point of de-escalation.

Al Thani said Qatar was particularly concerned about "the spread of the conflicts, which are what we are witnessing in Syria and Iraq and the Red Sea, and also the implication of that on the stability and security of the region."

When asked about what he would do in Israel, Blinken reiterated the US commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services.

"I will press on the absolute imperative to do more to protect civilians and to do more to make sure that humanitarian assistance is getting into the hands of those who need it," he said.

'Imperative' to maximize aid

In Amman, Jordan, Blinken on Sunday visited an aid coordination warehouse of the World Food Program (WFP).

"It is imperative that we maximize assistance to people in need," by getting the aid in and distributing it effectively, he said.

"We'll be working on that as well in the days to come," he said at the warehouse.

Blinken also commended Jordan for its "instrumental role" in trying to deliver assistance to Palestinians in need in Gaza.

"First, along with the WFP, they've established a direct convoy route from Jordan to Gaza," he said. "That's creating the ability to move more food to people who need it."

Second, he added, "the Jordanians have done everything from airdrops in Gaza to setting up field hospitals."

France, Jordan team up on aid delivery

France and Jordan teamed up last week to airdrop seven tons of aid to civilians and aid workers in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.

Macron posted a photograph of an airman standing on the cargo ramp of a military plane, with parachutes visible in the sky below.

Macron's office said the "extremely complex operation" took place late Thursday, saying it had been made possible by close ties between the French and Jordanian militaries.

Each nation sent a C-130 transport plane with mixed French-Jordanian crews, bringing a total of seven tons of "humanitarian and health" aid, the presidency said.

The supplies dropped by France and Jordan were equipped with systems that remotely guided them to a Jordanian field hospital operating in the territory, the French presidential office said.

The mission "allows us to show that such operations are possible," the Elysee added.