Blinken will travel to Mideast amid US concern over violence

Secretary of State Blinken will travel to the Middle East this weekend in his first trip to the region this year. Blinken has scheduled stops in Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank. The trip comes amid an escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence. In fact, the State Department’s announcement came just hours after an Israeli raid on suspected terrorists in the West Bank that Palestinian officials say killed several people. The Biden administration also has expressed concerns about the direction of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new government, as well as ongoing issues with Egypt’s human rights record.