Upcoming Journey to the Middle East: Baerbock Visits Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel
In Amman, the Jordanian capital, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is set to meet with her Jordanian counterpart, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, as per the ministry's announcement. Post this meeting on Thursday, Baerbock will head to Israel on Friday, where she'll engage in discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Defense Minister Joav Gallant. Gallant is advocating for a truce agreement, critiquing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach, who has stated his unwavering stance against negotiating with the radical Islamic Hamas.
The conversations with Katz and Gallant will revolve around initiatives for an immediate and crucial humanitarian truce, aimed at securing hostages' release and delivering urgent aid to the people in Gaza, as per Deschauer's statement. Baerbock is also due to meet again with relatives of hostages captivated by Hamas and other radical Palestinian groups.
Beyond this, Baerbock is scheduled to engage in talks with Palestinian representatives in Ramallah, within the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and with the local Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa. The focus of these talks is reportedly preventing any further escalation of violence in the West Bank.
Baerbock has visited Israel eight times since the commencement of the Gaza conflict and has discussed de-escalation on numerous Middle East trips, including several countries, since October 7. Her impending visit to the crisis zone occurs amidst warnings of additional provocations.
On October 7, Hamas operatives executed a large-scale assault on numerous locations in southern Israel, as per Israeli reports, leading to the demise of 1205 individuals and the captivity of 251 hostages in the Gaza Strip. Nearly eleven months on, 97 hostages continue to be held by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, with 33 of them believed to have perished.
Israel has retaliated to the Hamas attack with substantial military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to unconfirmed Hamas reports, over 40,800 individuals have allegedly died since October.
Baerbock's meetings in Gaza will not only include discussions with Palestinian representatives but also with families affected by the conflict with other radical Palestinian groups, such as Hamas. In her efforts to secure a humanitarian truce, Baerbock is seeking to address the plight of the over 97 hostages still in captivity, including the 33 believed to have perished.
