Blinken travels to the Middle East as unrest unfolds

• Blinken will meet with the Israeli Prime Minister and the Palestinian President.
• He will seek to utilize US influence to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
• Blinken will discuss general efforts to be done to de-escalate tensions.

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to arrive in Egypt on Sunday to begin a Middle East trip in which he will seek to utilize US influence to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions following an outbreak of violence.

Blinken, who will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday, had long planned to see Israel’s new right-wing government, but the trip has taken on additional urgency in the aftermath of some of the worst bloodshed in years.

On Friday, a Palestinian shooter killed seven people outside a synagogue in an east Jerusalem settlement neighborhood, and another attack occurred on Saturday.

On Thursday, nine people were killed in one of the deadliest such operations in years, an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. In response to rocket fire, Israel said it was targeting Islamic Jihad militants and also struck the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and will ask for “general efforts to be done to de-escalate tensions,” according to State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, who also condemned the “horrific” synagogue massacre.

Egypt as a mediator

The violence is also sure to come up in discussions with Blinken and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country’s historic position as a Middle East mediator has helped him maintain a vital US partner despite President Joe Biden’s condemnation of his human rights record.

Because of its close relationship with Israel, the United States has traditionally taken the lead in Middle East diplomacy.

Experts, however, questioned if Blinken could make any breakthroughs.

“The absolute best they can do is maintain things stable to avoid another May 2021,” said veteran US negotiator Aaron David Miller, referring to more than two weeks of conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended with an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Ghaith Al-Omari, a former Palestinian official now at The Washington Institute, expected Blinken to repeat traditional US positions rather than break new ground.

“The trip itself is the message,” he said.

“Blinken will ask Abbas to do more but it is not clear what they can do,” he said, referring to the Palestinians.

Flooding the zone with Netanyahu

Blinken’s visit is part of the Biden administration’s effort to engage Netanyahu as soon as possible when he returned to office in late December, leading the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister had a strained relationship with the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, as Netanyahu openly opposes US dialogue with Iran.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, traveled earlier in January to discuss Iran after Biden’s efforts to resurrect a 2015 nuclear agreement, which Netanyahu despises, effectively collapsed.

“I’ve never seen such a frenzy of high-level interactions under any administration as you’re witnessing right now,” Miller, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.

Miller stated that the Biden administration is attempting to “avoid confrontation with Netanyahu,” citing the significant support for the Israeli leader among Republicans who currently control the House of Representatives.

David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute, confirmed that CIA Director Bill Burns had visited the region.

“It appears to be flooding the zone,” he remarked.

The normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates in 2020, which has raced full speed ahead on establishing ties despite public misgivings about the new government’s policies, has been heralded as a notable achievement by Netanyahu.

On his trip, Blinken is anticipated to emphasize the United States’ support for a Palestinian state, a prospect that few believe to be realized under the new Israeli government.

According to the State Department, Blinken will also advocate for the maintenance of the status quo at the controversial Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right ideologue in Netanyahu’s ministry who works in security, openly visited the Temple Mount in early January.

Blinken is also anticipated to discuss regional issues such as Libya and Sudan in Egypt, according to the State Department.

Egypt remains one of the major recipients of US military aid, but the relationship is under review by certain members of Biden’s Democratic Party owing to Sisi’s behavior.

Authorities released hundreds of political prisoners last year, but rights groups estimate some 60,000 remain in detention, many facing harsh conditions and overcrowded cells.

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