US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will engage with Arab states on a new crisis trip beginning Monday with immediate focus on priorities such as the reconstruction of Gaza and the pursuit of a Palestinian state if Israel and Hamas agree to a hostage deal, a senior US official said. Blinken’s plane stopped in Ireland for refuelling on Monday before continuing to Saudi Arabia, marking his fifth trip to the Middle East since the October 7 attacks by Hamas that triggered significant Israeli retaliation. The trip comes at a crucial time for the United States as it recently conducted airstrikes against Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone strike that claimed the lives of three Americans, escalating a regional conflict that President Joe Biden originally sought to avoid. It also occurs as the US increases pressure on Israel, with the Biden administration imposing sanctions on four extremist settlers in the West Bank following frustration over violence against Palestinian civilians unrelated to the Gaza conflict. Blinken will address a proposal agreed upon a week earlier in Paris by the CIA chief and officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Israel for a pause in the nearly four-month war as Hamas releases hostages taken during the October assault. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated on Blinken’s plane that it is “impossible to say if we’ll get a breakthrough” and reiterated the US view that “the ball right now is in Hamas’s court.” However, the official stressed that Blinken, who will also visit Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank, will attempt to lay the groundwork for immediate action should the war pause, which has isolated the United States and fueled escalating tensions in the region. “If we get a humanitarian pause, we want to be in a position to move as quickly as possible on the various pieces of (the) day after,” the official said. These priorities would include a reconstruction plan for Gaza, where the majority of buildings are in ruins after the relentless Israeli military campaign, and a roadmap for the creation of a Palestinian state, an idea strongly opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government. Another key objective that Blinken will address is Arab normalization with Israel, the official said. Before October 7, Saudi Arabia had engaged in talks to recognize Israel in what would be a historic move as the kingdom is guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites. Blinken, who is expected to meet again with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stated on his last trip in January that there was still a “clear interest” from Riyadh in normalizing relations with Israel.
However, Israel has faced substantial criticism in the Arab world and beyond for its forceful use of power and strict blockade. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported that more than 27,200 people have died in Gaza, and the United Nations has cautioned about the risk of famine as Gazans lack food, water, and medicine. Israel launched the campaign after Hamas fighters breached Israeli territory on October 7, resulting in around 1,160 casualties, most of whom were civilians, marking the deadliest attack in the country’s history. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, mentioned that Blinken would urge Israel to do more to address the humanitarian crisis. “This will be a top priority of his when he sees the Israeli government — that the needs of the Palestinian people are something that are going to be front and centre in the US approach,” Sullivan said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” The State Department official noted that the United States communicates daily with the Israelis regarding the humanitarian situation. “But to get real breakthroughs on some of the big things, one of two things has to happen — the secretary has to show up or the president has to get on the phone with the prime minister,” he explained, adding, “Whenever we come to Israel, we come with a list of things that we’re trying to push.”sct/sn
