Paris (Washington Insider Magazine)— In a meeting held on Tuesday night in Paris, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the necessity of preventing the escalation of the Gaza conflict to Lebanon. The meeting, occurring during the initial day of Blinken’s European tour, resulted in a joint statement emphasizing the importance of curbing the widening of the conflict.
The State Department’s statement, released following the meeting, focused on the imperative of avoiding further escalation in Lebanon but refrained from elaborating on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
According to Eldiariony, before the meeting, Blinken urged Israel to conduct a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation into an attack on Monday that claimed the lives of seven humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza. France also condemned the attack unequivocally, with Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné stressing the moral and legal obligation to safeguard humanitarian workers.
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers on Tuesday, prompting widespread sorrow and outrage globally. The victims, who were delivering food to Palestinians under siege with the charity World Central Kitchen, included three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen, and a Palestinian. Many of them had previously engaged in humanitarian efforts worldwide, providing aid in the aftermath of conflicts, natural disasters, and other crises.
According to the US State Department, Blinken and Macron reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine’s resistance against Russian aggression. Additionally, they addressed various other topics, including the challenges posed by China and initiatives aimed at enhancing global food security, such as the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils, a US-led initiative.
