US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarks, on Thursday, on his fourth trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war. Anticipating challenging discussions, he aims to advocate for immediate aid to the distressed Gaza Strip and to push for de-escalation in the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads back to the Middle East on Thursday on his fourth trip since the Israel-Hamas war, expecting tough talks as he presses for immediate new aid for battered Gaza and de-escalation in the region.
The top US diplomat will visit both Israel and the West Bank, home of the Palestinian Authority, and five Arab countries—Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the State Department said.
Blinken will leave late Thursday and first go to Turkey—an uneasy US ally which is the home of key Hamas leaders, despite being one of the few Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel—followed by Greece.
Blinken will discuss “immediate measures to substantially increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” where the World Health Organization has warned of the risk of famine and disease.
Blinken on previous trips sought to keep the war isolated to Gaza. But he returns to a region that has seen attacks in or from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Iran.
In a pre-trip telephone call, Blinken agreed with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to “de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran,” the State Department said.
The United States has twice exercised its veto at the UN Security Council against ceasefire calls, drawing outrage in the Arab world, and just days ago, Blinken bypassed Congress for the second time to rush weapons to Israel.
The Biden administration has taken credit for coaxing Israel on several aid issues, including allowing limited gas and commercial trucks to enter.
Another concern for the Biden administration has been calls by far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Blinken is also likely to press Israel to stop blocking the transfer of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority, a longstanding arrangement that is opposed by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
The United States sees a future in the Gaza Strip for the Palestinian Authority, whose ruling Fatah faction is the rival of Hamas. But Netanyahu has long sought to weaken the semi-autonomous body and opposes the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
