Blinken to meet Palestinian President in Jordan on Friday: Officials

Ramallah, Oct 12

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday, will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday in Jordan, according to a top Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official.

Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the PLO, confirmed the meeting in a post on X, in which he also said that Abbas will meet Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Thursday.

The meeting with the Jordanian monarch is "part of the effort exerted around the clock by the Palestinian leadership to stop this devastating war, and within the framework of the joint effort between Jordan and Palestine", Al-Sheikh added.

Besides visiting Israel, Blinken is also scheduled to travel to Jordan where he will meet senior officials.

This will be the first visit by a top official of US President Joe Biden's administration to Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack.

In a post on X late Tuesday night, Blinken said: "Tomorrow, I will leave for Israel to engage with our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground and to discuss ways we can continue to support them in the fight against these terrorist attacks.

"Our support for Israel remains unwavering."

According to the State Department, Blinken "will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself".