US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Egypt on Sunday at the start of a Middle East trip on which he will try to use US influence to ease Israeli-Palestinian tensions following an eruption of violence.
Blinken, who will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday, had long planned the trip to see Israel’s new right-wing government, but the trip takes on a new urgency after the worst violence in years.
A Palestinian gunman killed seven people outside a synagogue in a settlement neighborhood of east Jerusalem on Friday and launched another attack on Saturday.
Nine people were killed in an Israeli army assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Thursday, one of the deadliest such operations in years. Israel said it was targeting Islamic Jihad militants and also struck the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire.
Condemning the horrific attack on the synagogue, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that Blinken would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and demand comprehensive steps to de-escalate tensions.
Violence is also expected at talks between Blinken and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose country’s traditional role as a Middle East mediator has seen him remain a major US partner despite President Joe Biden’s criticism of his human rights record. have helped.
The United States, with its close ties to Israel, has historically led Middle East diplomacy.
But experts question whether Blinken can achieve any success.
Referring to more than two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Aaron David Miller, a veteran US negotiator, said, “The best they can do to avoid another May 2021 is to keep things stable “
Ghaith al-Omari, a former Palestinian official who is now at The Washington Institute, expected Blinken to repeat traditional American positions rather than break new ground.
“The journey is the message,” he said.
“Blinken will ask Abbas to do more but it is not clear what he can do,” he said, referring to the Palestinians.
‘Flooded Zone’ with Netanyahu
Blinken’s trip is part of an effort by the Biden administration to quickly engage with Netanyahu, who returned to office in late December and led the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister had a fractious relationship with the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, as Netanyahu openly sided with his Republican opponents against US diplomacy with Iran.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, visited in early January to discuss Iran following Biden’s efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal disdained by Netanyahu.
“I have never seen such a rapid influx of high-level contacts under any administration as you are seeing now,” said Miller at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The Biden team is looking “to avoid clashing with Netanyahu,” Miller said, noting strong support for the Israeli leader among Republicans, who now control the House of Representatives.
David Makowski at the Washington Institute also said he also understands that CIA Director Bill Burns is visiting the area.
“It looks a little bit like a flood in the area,” he said.
Netanyahu has hailed the normalization of ties with the United Arab Emirates in 2020 as a significant achievement, moving full speed ahead on developing ties despite public concerns over the new government’s moves.
Blinken is expected on his trip to reiterate US support for a Palestinian state, a prospect some expect to advance under the new Israeli government.
The State Department said Blinken would also call for the status quo to be maintained at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right ideologue who holds a security position in Netanyahu’s government, visited what Jews call the Temple Mount in early January.
The State Department said that in Egypt, Blinken is also expected to discuss regional issues such as Libya and Sudan.
Egypt remains one of the top recipients of US military aid, but the cooperation has come under scrutiny from parts of Biden’s Democratic Party because of Sisi’s rights record.
Authorities released hundreds of political prisoners last year, but rights groups estimate that some 60,000 remain in detention, many facing harsh conditions and overcrowded cells.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)