IRIA News

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to engage with regional partners and key allies. His latest visit to the Middle East is aimed at pushing the stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Blinken began his Middle East trip with a stop in Saudi Arabia on April 29, 2024. This is the seventh time that the U.S. top diplomat visited the Kingdom since the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict. Secretary Blinken held discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, focusing on the pressing need to de-escalate tensions in the region, as stated by the U.S. Department of State.

According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department, Blinken plans to “discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza” and to push forward negotiations on the release of Israeli hostages.

“He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that the increase is sustained,” the State Department said before Blinken embarked on his trip to the Middle East.  

As Saudi leaders met the U.S. Secretary of State, they emphasized the need for a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Riyadh also highlighted the need to develop an alliance-style security agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and I met in Riyadh to discuss efforts to achieve lasting peace and security through greater integration in the Middle East. We will continue to work to prevent the further spread of the conflict. pic.twitter.com/SJI4PGYfVK

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 29, 2024

Normalization with Israel

After meeting his Saudi counterpart, Blinken said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia had done “intense work together” over the past few months towards a normalization accord between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a goal that has been disrupted by the Gaza war.

“The work that Saudi Arabia and the United States have been doing together in terms of our own agreements, I think, is potentially very close to completion,” Blinken said during his visit to the Kingdom.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met Blinken in Riyadh, said that an accord between Washington and Riyadh over normalization was “very, very close”. He added that “most of the work has already been done.”

During his stay in Riyadh, Blinken participated in the World Economic Forum meeting where several foreign ministers, including from France, Britain, Egypt, and Jordan, were present.

Truce proposal

Blinken urged Hamas to swiftly accept an Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group. “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel,” Blinken said at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

“The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly,” he said. “I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”

Israeli reports indicate that 253 hostages were taken during a Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, alongside approximately 1,200 Israeli fatalities. So far, 112 hostages have been returned alive to Israel, with 105 being released in a prisoner exchange deal. Some hostages were killed by the Israeli forces during their attacks in Gaza. Currently, the actual number of alive hostages remains unknown.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was also in Riyadh for the World Economic Forum meeting, described the Israeli truce proposal as “generous”, and urged Hamas to accept it.

The latest truce proposal by Israel included a 40-day pause in fighting and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners as well as all the remaining Israeli hostages.

“I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal’,” Cameron said.

Meeting with Arab foreign ministers

Blinken held a joint summit with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan, as well as Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Hussein Al Sheikh.

The discussion at the 6-way meeting delved into the significance of achieving an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This includes prioritizing the protection of civilians and facilitating humanitarian aid access to the enclave.

According to the U.S. State Department, Blinken “reaffirmed the United States’ support for efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region, including through a pathway to a Palestinian state with security assurances for Israel.

Secretary Blinken emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. The Secretary also underscored the importance of regional coordination to prevent the conflict from spreading.”

Trip to Jordan

The U.S. Secretary of State arrived in Amman on April 30, on the second leg of a regional tour aimed at exploring ways to reach a cease-fire deal in the Palestinian enclave.

In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry reported that Secretary Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi engaged in talks regarding initiatives to de-escalate tensions in the area and forestall any potential Israeli military action in Rafah. Rafah, situated in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, is home to over 1.4 million Palestinians.

They also reviewed the “dangerous deterioration and escalation” in the West Bank and the need to start a comprehensive plan to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just peace under the two-state solution, the statement added.

Blinken emphasized that he and Safadi deliberated on the U.S.’s dedication to promoting peace and stability in the region, as well as tackling the humanitarian challenges in Gaza. “We appreciate Jordan’s coordination to get more aid into Gaza through airdrops and overland deliveries,” he said on Twitter.

I visited a @_jhco warehouse in Jordan that is facilitating the delivery of life-saving aid in Gaza, with support from the U.S.

Tangible progress has been made – additional crossings, increased aid into the north. But more is needed, and that’s why I’m in the region this week. pic.twitter.com/puocAtWu1h

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 30, 2024

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and thousands of others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities. After over six months of the Israeli conflict, extensive areas of Gaza are devastated, resulting in 85% of the enclave’s inhabitants being internally displaced. The blockade severely limits access to essential supplies such as food, clean water, and medicine, as reported by the UN.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. A preliminary ruling in January mandated Tel Aviv to cease genocidal actions and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population.

Israel visit

Blinken arrived in Israel on April 30 evening, where he met with Israeli government officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.

Blinken is increasing pressure on Hamas to accept a ceasefire and hostage release deal while seeking to forestall the Israeli military offensive in Rafah and further address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In the afternoon of May 1, Blinken will visit the Kerem Shalom Crossing and Ashdod Port to review the humanitarian aid flow to Gaza and meet with families of American hostages in Tel Aviv.