U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East on Saturday (November 4), not only to cry out for alleviating the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but also to seek Arab support for planning the future governance and pattern of Gaza after the conflict.
This is Antony Blinken's second visit to the Middle East after Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israel on October 7, which led to Israel's full retaliation and retaliation.
Antony Blinken held a press conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's wartime cabinet at the first stop of his visit on Friday, calling for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to allow relief supplies to enter Gaza, facilitate the release of hostages, and achieve the goal of defeating Hamas.
Antony Blinken particularly warned that unless the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is alleviated, Israel will face the risk of losing the hope of reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians.
However, Netanyahu also released a television conversation and rejected Antony Blinken's proposal. He emphasized that Israel will continue to launch an offensive until victory is achieved and the established goals of eliminating Hamas and releasing hostages are achieved. Israel rejects any temporary ceasefire that does not include the release of detained Israelis.
After his visit to Israel, Antony Blinken visited Amman, the capital of Jordan, to meet with senior officials from Jordan and other Arab countries.
Antony Blinken's most important activity in Amman on Saturday was to hold a meeting with the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and senior officials of the Palestinian National Authority to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Kazakhstan.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry pointed out in a statement that Arab foreign ministers would discuss with Antony Blinken how to cease the war in Gaza and stop killing civilians.
The Associated Press reported that Arab countries are deeply skeptical and extremely angry about Tel Aviv's intentions in the context of Israel's continuous military strikes on Gaza, causing serious civilian casualties.
After arriving in Amman, Antony Blinken first met with Najib Mikati, the caretaker prime minister of Lebanon. Although Lebanon's political and economic situation is poor, Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran and extremely opposed to Israel, is very active there. Since the beginning of the Israeli-Harbat War, Hezbollah in Lebanon has launched rockets and missiles into northern Israel. The United States is concerned that Hezbollah may intervene on a large scale in the Israeli-Kazakhstan conflict.
However, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, made his first public statement Friday after the outbreak of the Israeli-Halestinian conflict. Although he issued warnings about Israel's attack on Lebanon and claimed not to be afraid of US deterrence attempts, he did not announce his intention to participate in the Israeli-Halestinian conflict.
According to Matthew Miller, spokesman of the US State Department, Antony Blinken thanked Mikati for "not involving Lebanon in a war that the Lebanese people do not want to intervene in". Antony Blinken also introduced the efforts made by the United States to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
Antony Blinken also arranged to meet with the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Amman. The United Nations agency stated that dozens of its employees were killed in Israeli airstrikes, and that basic necessities such as food, medicine, and fuel were very scarce.
The Arab countries that participated in the Foreign Ministers' Meeting with Antony Blinken all condemned Israel's military action in Gaza and the humanitarian disaster it caused, and stressed that Israel's actions constituted illegal collective punishment against the Palestinian people.
Antony Blinken will also meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel this week and told him not to return to Amman until the Gaza crisis is resolved.
However, the Associated Press reported that Arab countries have so far not responded to the United States' call to play a greater role in resolving the Gaza crisis. On the one hand, these countries express anger at the Israeli military's attacks that have caused a large number of civilian deaths, while on the other hand, they claim that the problems in Gaza are the result of Israel's own creation.
The Associated Press pointed out that US officials believe that Arab support is not only crucial for resolving the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but also for the future governance of a Gaza Strip without Hamas, although it may be too early to talk about its future governance.