Blinken Heads To The Middle East For Talks on Gaza Regional Security

International News Regarding US Secretary of State – Blinken Heads To The Middle East For Talks On Gaza Regional Security.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fly to Riyadh on Monday and Tuesday to engage in regional meetings on humanitarian aid in Gaza, a post-war blueprint for the Palestinian territories, and Middle Eastern peace and security.

“The secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and how it is Hamas that is standing between the Palestinian people and a cease-fire,” the State Department said in a statement.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, a regional coalition of Arab countries that border the Persian Gulf, will meet in Riyadh next week.

Blinken will attend a GCC ministerial conference to help coordinate regional security.

Saudi Arabia is also holding a special session of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. Expected attendees include heads of state and prominent executives from both the public and private sectors. The gathering will address a wide variety of global difficulties, including humanitarian crises, climate change, and economic concerns.

Prospects for Saudi-Israeli Normalization

Despite what some officials and observers believe is a remote prospect, the Biden administration is still working on a potential accord that might lead to Saudi rapprochement with Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution and the Palestinian Authority’s restoration to authority of Gaza, both of which have widespread international backing.

The Saudis have asked, as a condition, that Israel adhere to the two-state solution.

Post-Gaza War

The humanitarian condition in Gaza remains terrible, despite an increase in daily supplies and Israel’s decision to use a northern border and Ashdod Port for humanitarian delivery.

The US is working with allies to build a marine humanitarian corridor; but, these efforts are inadequate, as Gaza’s whole population is at risk of hunger and malnutrition.

Officials in the United States have indicated that the US is dedicated to fostering long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, including by taking tangible actions to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“The West Bank and Gaza must be reunited under the Palestinian Authority. During a recent briefing, Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, stated that a revived Palestinian Authority is critical to achieving outcomes for the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza, as well as fostering circumstances for stability.

Washington has also made it plain that Hamas should not be involved in such government.

Analysts, however, believe that the United States’ goal faces several challenges.

According to Michael Hanna, program director of the International Crisis Group, the present Israeli administration has exhibited a “total rejection of the idea of a two-state solution.” Further, “the physical reality has changed so dramatically since 1967 that it makes the possibility of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state almost an impossibility.”

He claimed “there’s no real assurance” that Middle Eastern governments are particularly devoted to post-war rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip.

“It’s very difficult for many of these regional parties to engage politically at the moment while the war rages on,” he went on to say.

Reason Behind The Middle East Talks

Blinken’s scheduled talks in the Middle East come as the United States considers fresh evidence from the Israeli government before deciding whether to blacklist specific Israeli military groups.

These units are accused of breaching the human rights of Palestinian residents in the West Bank prior to the October 7 Hamas terror assaults on Israel.

Critics have pointed out that the State Department’s “slow rolling” decision reflects Israel’s continued privileged treatment.

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