Secretary of State Blinken to visit Israel and other crucial Middle Eastern nations during stagnant hostage and truce talks.
"The State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller revealed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza which ensures the release of hostages, and how Hamas is the one blocking this. He added that Blinken would reiterate the significance of containing the conflict from escalating and their aim to achieve long-lasting peace in the region through an independent Palestinian state with Israel's security guaranteed.
In spite of ongoing discussions mediated by Qatar and Egypt, neither Israel nor Hamas have managed to reach an accord regarding a hostage exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza. The State Department issued an announcement on Sunday confirming Blinken's plans to visit Saudi Arabia.
Besides Saudi Arabia, Blinken will fly to Israel and Jordan. According to Miller's update, the top American diplomat will touch upon the recent upsurge in humanitarian aid being delivered to Gaza and stress on its continuation.
A senior official from the State Department briefed reporters traveling with Blinken about his meetings with Saudi officials and foreign ministers from the region concerning Gaza's future.
The primary purpose of Blinken's visit to Jordan and Israel, according to the official, would be to deal with humanitarian aid. He is scheduled to meet with relief organizations as well as Jordanian government officials, before presenting the updates to Israeli authorities.
Blinken's journey, scheduled from Monday to Wednesday, follows his meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month in Jeddah to discuss hostage release efforts mediated by Hamas.
Simultaneously, his discussions with Saudi officials will involve Saudi Arabia potentially normalizing diplomatic ties with Israel, as per the State Department official.
Blinken mentioned to CNN during a recent interview that it is possible to propose a framework for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia in conjunction with a two-state resolution for Israel and Palestine before a ceasefire is agreed upon.
"In the event of a ceasefire or not, we'll keep putting forward these possibilities. To make them a reality though, we need to end the conflict in Gaza, and strike a settlement on the Palestinian issue, or at least on how to resolve it."
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Source: edition.cnn.com
