Blinken flies to Middle East

Translated by Elisa Bruni

On Saturday, January 6, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a journey with a delegation through Middle Eastern countries, such as Turkey, Greece, the West Bank, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel, with the aim of calming tensions in the area and prevent a broader conflict.

This diplomatic mission is of extreme importance for the United States, since at the beginning of the war the American partners seemed much more flexible about their policy towards the Israeli allies, whereas now, four months since the war started and after countless civilian casualties, there are more demonstrations of widespread discontent.

Therefore, the journey of Blinken and his delegation is surrounded by great expectations, as they are traveling daily between different Middle East countries to attend meetings with high-level government officials.

On Saturday, the US Secretary of State spoke with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a one-hour meeting in Istanbul, where Erdogan expressed the intention of using Turkey’s influence in the region to prevent the escalation of the conflict and securing a central role in the administration of the Gaza Strip in the post-war period. According to Turkish sources, Erdogan requested to order immediate ceasefire in Gaza to allow a safer and more efficient delivery of humanitarian aid.

The same night Blinken flew to Crete, where he expressed one of the main concerns for the Biden administration: after the Israeli attack in Dahiyeh that led to the assassination of a top Hamas commander, Saleh al-Arouri, the tensions between Lebanon and Israel have intensified. Lebanon reacted by immediately launching missile at Northern Israel against the armed group Hezbollah. “We want to do everything possible to make sure we see no escalation”, he told journalists during an interview before leaving Crete.

On Sunday, America’s top diplomat arrived in Doha, Qatar. During the press conference, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani addressed Blinken’s concern for a possible outbreak of a broader conflict due to high regional tensions: the Minister declares not to consider military action a solution since it may cause an “endless loop” of hostility and violence, but expressed the intent to seek a legitimate and pacific solution instead.

As a response, Blinken introduced the Biden administration’s plan, aimed at fighting the increasing instability with a relaxation of the Israeli policy in Gaza and the establishment of lasting peace for Palestinians through the collaboration between Arab countries. “The United States has a vision for how to get there, a regional approach that delivers lasting security for Israel and a state for the Palestinian people”, he stated, and then added, “my takeaway from the discussions so far is that our partners are willing to have these difficult conversations and to make hard decisions.”

Lastly, diplomats examined the issue of humanitarian aid. “Too many Palestinian civilians are suffering from insufficient access to food, to water, to medicine, to other essential supplies”, asserted Blinken during the meeting, “We continue to raise with Israel the need to do everything possible to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and I will do so again when I’m there later this week”.

On Monday, the US delegation met with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, discussing the aim of creating a stable and strengthened Gaza Strip in the post-war period. At this point in his journey, Blinken also claimed he wished to “share with the Israeli leader” everything that had been discussed until then in order to find a pathway of lasting and secure peace.

This was made possible on Tuesday, when the US diplomats visited Tel Aviv in Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. Blinken not only focused on the urgent need for a facilitation of humanitarian aid delivery, but also reported the Arab leaders’ intention of supporting the reconstruction of Gaza through “a regional approach that includes a pathway to a Palestinian state.” Moreover, he stressed the US government’s refusal to discuss issues such as the occupation and reduction of Gaza’s territory. He proceeded to condemn two far-right members of the Cabinet of Israel, as they had suggested to definitely banish Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Between light and shade, Blinken’s diplomatic mission elicited strong objections as well. On Wednesday, for example, a group of protesters welcomed him upon his arrival in the West Bank, showing signs that read “stop the genocide”, “free Palestine”, and “Blinken out”.

The atmosphere is similar in the USA, where thousands of American citizens descended onto the streets of Washington on Sunday, January 14, to protest against the deaths of Palestinian civilians, now more than 24 thousand since the war started, and request immediate ceasefire.

The Biden administration is now facing a difficult situation, having to prove the effectiveness of the Secretary of State’s diplomatic policy not only to the opposition, but also to partners and to the citizens themselves.

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