Review of Blinken's tour in the Middle East: the main topics he addressed

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, closed a tour of the Middle East today in which, after having spoken with Arab leaders, he toughened his speech against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip and said that the way to resolve the conflict is to create an independent Palestinian state.

(Also read: Blinken affirms that Abbas is committed to reforming the Palestinian Authority).

The head of US diplomacy visited Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Bahrain. and Egypt to outline an action plan that puts a stop to the war, but also its “worrying” repercussions.

On this fourth regional tour since the start of the war on October 7, Blinken changed tone on the Israeli offensive, stressing “the importance of preventing further harm to civilians.” and protect civilian infrastructure in Gaza”, although he recalled Israel's “right to prevent a repeat of the terrorist attacks of October 7”.

In the background, the danger of the expansion of the war was also discussed, with the escalation of violence between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. on the common border, the bombings in Beirut and the Yemeni Houthi attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea.

These are the main topics that Blinken addressed on his trip.

Towards an independent Palestinian state

Blinken made it clear together with the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, that he has his support for the creation of his own Palestinian State according to the two-state solution “along with Israel”, so that both “live in peace.” and security”.

The US and part of the international community advocate for the return of the ANP – which governs small parts of the occupied West Bank – to the Gaza Strip, when the war ends.

The objective is to prevent the return of Hamas – which has de facto governed the Strip since 2007 – and other extremist groups.as well as colonization by Israel, which dismantled its last settlements inside the enclave in 2005.

Governing under the same Palestinian leadership seems to be the main demand proposed by the US to end the war in Gaza.

No to 'resettlement' of Palestinians

The highest representative of American diplomacy was also forceful when he told Israel's leaders that “Palestinian civilians should be allowed to return to their homes as soon as conditions permitand they should not be pressured to leave Gaza.”

(Read on: Blinken reaffirms US support for 'tangible steps' to create a Palestinian state.)

In total, internally displaced people in Gaza are close to two million people, at least 85% of the total population of the Strip. of 2.3 million. A large part of them, around a million, are in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Blinken even said in Israel that his country “unequivocally rejects any proposal advocating the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza,” an idea expressed by several ministers of Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government.

The latter denied that his government has any intention to “resettle” or “displace” the Palestinians, just a few hours before the start this Thursday of the first hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) that will address South Africa's accusation that Israel commits genocide in Gaza. Blinken thus assumed the clear red line of Egypt, Jordan and the other Arab countries, regarding what they consider an “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza.

Prevent the spread of war

The exchange of crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel on the border, the Israeli attacks on Syria and the Houthi offensive against ships linked to the Jewish State in the Red Sea have already inevitably extended the war beyond the borders of Gaza.

The assassination of a Hamas leader attributed to Israel on the outskirts of Beirut, which increased fears of an escalation of the conflictwas completely ignored by Blinken, who limited himself to defending the right of the Jewish State to defend themselves and question their responsibility in the attack.

(We recommend: Antony Blinken arrives in Istanbul, the first stop on his regional tour dedicated to Gaza).

But preventing the escalation from escalating has been one of the objectives of this tour of the diplomat, who accuses Iran of using its allies to add fuel to the conflict and who just yesterday asked from Bahrain to stop supporting the Houthis.

The cessation of these actions against merchant ships is one of the priorities of the United States, which heads a naval coalition created last month to guarantee international maritime security.

EFE