U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Revisit Israel Following Arab Nation Tours to Prevent Wider Regional Conflict

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to revisit Israel this week, concluding an intensive diplomatic tour of six Arab countries. The primary objective of this tour has been to deter the conflict between Israel and Hamas from escalating into a larger regional confrontation.

The U.S. State Department revealed Blinken’s forthcoming trip to Israel, his second in a span of five days, as the Secretary landed in Cairo for Sunday discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. This Egyptian meeting marked the culmination of a series of talks Blinken has had with Arab leaders, amidst growing apprehension that an imminent Israeli ground invasion into Gaza could trigger a more extensive and humanly catastrophic conflict.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, informed journalists accompanying Blinken that the Secretary would return to Tel Aviv for additional consultations with Israeli authorities, although no further details were provided.

Before his arrival in Egypt, Blinken conducted a meeting on Sunday morning with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. This interaction was part of a series of discussions that took place over the past three days with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.

Initiating his tour last Thursday in Israel, Blinken extended America’s support and commitment to Israel in light of the recent unexpected attacks by Hamas. In addition, Blinken spoke telephonically with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, soliciting China’s support to discourage third-party involvement in the conflict.

As Israel’s military planning against Hamas takes form, with extensive airstrikes and evacuation warnings issued to over a million residents in the northern Gaza Strip, the prospect of the conflict widening has become increasingly alarming. During his dialogues with Arab leaders, Blinken emphasized the criticality of averting such an escalation.

To reinforce American concerns, the U.S. military has dispatched an aircraft carrier battle group to the Eastern Mediterranean and subsequently announced the deployment of a second one. This naval build-up is aimed at discouraging other nations and factions, such as Iran, Syria, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, from participating in the conflict.

On Saturday, with the Israeli military indicating that its operation against Hamas targets in Gaza would commence imminently, President Joe Biden conversed telephonically with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to U.S. officials, the response to Blinken’s diplomatic overtures from the Arab world has been largely affirmative, acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defense while also expressing grave concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ensuing civilian casualties. Arab leaders have also stressed that a long-term solution necessitates an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that establishes an independent Palestinian state.

In a meeting that lasted approximately an hour with Crown Prince Mohammed at his private farm near Riyadh, the U.S. State Department noted that both parties affirmed their joint commitment to the protection of civilians and to the promotion of stability throughout the Middle East.

The Saudi account of the meeting laid particular emphasis on the plight of Palestinian civilians, reiterating concerns voiced by other Arab leaders. Saudi Arabia would oppose any actions that target civilians or disrupt vital infrastructure impacting daily life, the account noted.

Prince Mohammed underscored the need for discussions to halt military activities causing loss of innocent lives and to respect international humanitarian laws, including the lifting of the siege on Gaza, thereby restoring stability, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.

Prior to the sudden Hamas attacks on Israel, Secretary Blinken had intended to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia in the following week to discuss ongoing negotiations aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries. These talks have now been deferred, an outcome that U.S. and other officials believe was one of the primary objectives of Hamas and its main backer, Iran.

Notably, neither the U.S. nor Saudi official statements made any reference to this issue.

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• Antony Blinken
• Israel-Hamas Conflict
• Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
• U.S. Naval Deployment in Eastern Mediterranean
• Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal
• Hamas