US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to visit the Middle East on Monday, in his eight visits since the start of the war in Gaza, as he pushes president Joe Biden’s seemingly stalling ceasefire plan.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East on Monday to push a ceasefire plan, but Israeli politics and silence from Hamas raised further questions on whether he can succeed.
The top US diplomat, paying his eighth visit to the region since war broke out, was set to start the trip in Egypt and head later Monday to Israel.
Blinken is scheduled to hold closed-door talks first in Cairo with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a key US partner in peace efforts, and later in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken planned the visit to push forward a proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden, who has stepped up efforts to end a war that has taken a mounting toll on civilians and alienated parts of his base ahead of November elections.
But Hamas, which opened the war with a massive October 7 attack on Israel that triggered a relentless retaliatory campaign, has not formally responded.
And while Biden has described his plan as coming from Israel, the resignation on Sunday of a key centrist, Benny Gantz, from Netanyahu’s war cabinet throws a new wild card on US diplomatic efforts.
Gantz, a former general who leads in polls to replace Netanyahu if new elections are called, protested that the prime minister had not made the hard decisions to enable “real victory”.
Border crossing dilemma
The short-term effect of Gantz leaving the war cabinet could be removing a counter-balance to Netanyahu’s far-right allies, who have threatened to quit if Israel accepts the ceasefire plan.
Israel also showed Saturday it has more tools than diplomacy to free hostages with an operation that freed four Israeli captives.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, said Sunday it was difficult to say how the rescue operation would affect negotiations on a ceasefire.
“If Hamas came and said yes to the deal on the table, there would be an end to the need for these kinds of operations” Sullivan told ABC News.
In Egypt, Blinken is also expected to speak to Sisi about solutions to opening the key crossing into Gaza at Rafah.
The month-long closure has worsened the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, sending prices of scarce goods skyrocketing and worsening fears voiced by the United Nations of famine in the blockaded territory.
Israel seized the crossing from Hamas and has blamed Egypt for the closure.
Egypt, the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, has hit back and said that drivers feel unsafe going through what is now an Israeli checkpoint.
Blinken will also visit two more key Arab partners, Jordan and Qatar, before returning Wednesday to join Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Italy.
Shaun Tandon, with AFP
