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October 22, 2024

Blinken Heads to Israel for 11th Visit Since Israel Launched Full-Scale Assault on Gaza
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv for talks
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli
leaders. The State Department claims Blinken's trip is aimed at reviving
failed Gaza ceasefire negotiations, yet the Biden administration
continues to refuse calls for an arms embargo against Netanyahu's
government amid record U.S. military assistance to Israel. This is
Blinken's 11th visit to the region since Israel launched its latest war
on Gaza last October.

Meanwhile, calls are growing for U.S. officials to investigate reports
of the Israeli army using abducted Palestinians as human shields in
Gaza, often forcing them to walk ahead of Israeli soldiers to inspect
underground tunnels and buildings. The use of human shields is a war
crime. 

In related news, a group of over 60 House Democrats are demanding the
Biden administration "take immediate action to advocate for
unrestricted, independent media access" to Gaza, as Israel has blocked
foreign journalists from entering over the course of its yearlong war.


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