U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on, as U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) speaks about the conflict in Israel, after Hamas launched its biggest attack in decades, while making a statement about the crisis, at the White House in Washington, U.S. October 7, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

i24 News – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday kicked off in Turkey a week-long trip aimed at calming tensions that have spiked across the Middle East over Israel’s war with Hamas.

The top U.S. diplomat first met with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, followed by a meeting with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan. In the talks, Blinken “emphasized the need to prevent the war from spreading, secure the release of hostages, expand humanitarian assistance, and reduce civilian casualties,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Erdogan, an Islamist hardliner, is no stranger to anti-Israeli and antisemitic diatribes.

Erdogan has a pragmatic side, yet when push comes to shove he never fails to show his true colors as just another Islamist antisemite, Prof. Uzi Rabe tells @GuyAz pic.twitter.com/Zo0jR2l343

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) November 18, 2023