US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his Middle East tour in Saudi Arabia on Monday. His discussions will focus on governance options for Gaza post-conflict.
Later this week, Blinken will travel to Israel. He plans to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take specific actions. These actions are to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as US President Joe Biden requested.
In Riyadh, Blinken is slated to meet senior Saudi officials and confer with representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. These discussions will centre on potential governance structures for Gaza after the war.
Additionally, Blinken aims to engage Arab and European states about their roles in Gaza’s reconstruction. The region has suffered extensive damage from six months of Israeli bombardment.
This bombardment followed an attack by Hamas on October 7. Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, per Israeli reports.
In response, Israel completely sealed off Gaza and initiated an air and ground offensive. This has resulted in over 34,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The discussions on Gaza’s future governance and rebuilding efforts have been ongoing, yet a definitive plan has not been established.
The US supports Israel’s objective to remove Hamas from power in Gaza. However, Washington opposes an Israeli reoccupation of the area. Instead, the US is considering a governance model involving a reformed Palestinian Authority with Arab state support.
Blinken’s talks in Saudi Arabia also cover a potential normalization deal between the kingdom and Israel. This deal includes US commitments to Riyadh on defense, security, and nuclear cooperation.
Arab states and the US are pressing Israel for a commitment to Palestinian statehood in exchange for normalization. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected this proposal.
Following Riyadh, Blinken will visit Jordan and Israel. His focus will shift to improving Gaza’s humanitarian situation.
In Amman, Blinken plans to meet with Jordanian leaders and humanitarian organizations. He aims to gather insights on the situation and potential improvements. These findings will be presented to Israeli officials later in the week.
The US State Department emphasized the importance of increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Blinken’s trip follows a stern warning from Biden to Netanyahu. Biden stressed that US policy might change if Israel fails to mitigate civilian harm and support the safety of aid workers.
While Israel has made some improvements in humanitarian aid delivery, US officials assert that more efforts are necessary. Biden highlighted Israeli initiatives to open new border crossings into northern Gaza, where the risk of famine is acute, in a recent conversation with Netanyahu.
