Secretary Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Address Reporters Photo: Wikimedia Commons

JNS.org – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen spoke by phone on Thursday evening, Washington time, according to a readout from the US State Department.

Blinken “reaffirmed the importance of the enduring US-Israel bilateral relationship.”

The two also “discussed shared challenges including Iran, as well as efforts to advance mutual interests, such as Israel’s further regional integration,” according to Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesman at the department.

The US secretary of state also “reiterated the continued US commitment to a two-state solution, welcomed recent efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians through meetings in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh, and emphasized the importance of refraining from unilateral actions that exacerbate tensions,” said Patel.