Blinken to arrive in Mideast amid tensions with Iran-backed groups
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to begin his week-long Middle East diplomacy tour today, beginning in Turkey, a day after a U.S. airstrike killed he leader of an Iranian-backed militia in Baghdad.
Blinken is set to visit Israel and the occupied West Bank, as well as Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, U.S. state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Thursday.
As fears grow over the Israel-Hamas war triggering a wider regional conflict with the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut earlier this week, Miller told reporters Blinken aims to push Israeli officials on a plan for post-war Gaza.
“You will see us pushing additional steps on what Gaza should look like at the end of the conflict,” he said to reporters on Thursday. “Those are going to be some of the toughest conversations of course but we’re ready to go pursue them.”
Miller also stressed the importance of deterring Houthi attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
The tour marks Blinken’s fourth trip to the region since Oct 7.
‘Empathetic distress’: Exploring empathy’s limits in times of crisis
Adam Grant, a Wharton School professor, joined Morning Joe to discuss his new op-ed on the emotional impact of ongoing conflicts, like Israel’s war with Hamas.
“Empathy is in some ways a renewable resource, but it can be drained very quickly,” Grant said, explaining how continuous exposure to global crises can lead to “empathetic distress,” causing people to feel overwhelmed and helpless.
Grant differentiates between empathy and compassion, suggesting compassion as a healthier, more sustainable response.
Israeli defense minister outlines plans for war’s next phase
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office released a brief document detailing some of the framework envisioned for “phase 3” of the war, as well as what would happen in post-war Gaza.
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