Blinken’s visit to the Middle East: ‘What are they offering?’ | Conflicting Issues

United States President Joe Biden will send a special envoy to the Middle East just days after the men were sold in Egypt the end of the war was achieved to stop the 11-day explosion of Israeli troops and stone-throwing in Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday for the first four days of his four-day visit to discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He then went to Ramallah in the West Bank where he could meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an attempt to “encourage” the ceasefire.

Blinken travels to Egypt and Jordan this week to “discuss key efforts to end the war and reduce the risk of further hostilities in the coming months”.

The trip comes as a result of Biden’s domestic pressure to condemn Israel for violating Palestinian human rights, as well as strong opposition to US aid, and selling arms for, the fortress of Israel.

But experts say Blinken’s visit to the Middle East is aimed at resolving the conflict, instead of addressing it and showing that Biden’s management is always following the US foreign policy book which critics say has failed.

“Blinken and Biden’s superiors have no answer to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They don’t want to get carried away by what they see as impossible work, “said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Study at the University of Oklahoma.

In short, the purpose of Blinken’s visit is to “try to make this happen”, Landis told Al Jazeera – and the management’s view seems to be “throwing money at trouble”.

“It is believed that the next war in Gaza will explode on someone else’s watch. “Then … they could lose money right now, promise to be rebuilt, reassure Israel not to do anything stupid, either reduce their housing, or make it invisible,” Landis said.

“That’s all he can do: continue to have enough chickens, give money to the Palestinians, and buy it for another four years.”

The goals mentioned

Biden had previously stated that the conflict between Israel and Palestine was not significant during a series of crisis in the first months of his rule, such as the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iran over nuclear negotiations.

But an Israeli offensive in Gaza forced the US President to speak out. Biden and his officials have repeatedly said in the past two weeks that Washington is defending Israel’s “defense rights”, despite blocking attempts and the UN Security Council to call for an end to the war when violence in Gaza erupted.

Since the end of the war on Thursday, officials have ignored the approach, saying back talks have helped strengthen ties. But critics doubt this, says Biden It should take a solid line with Israel to address the root causes of the conflict, such as the ongoing Israeli occupation and the 14-year-old city of Gaza.

The head of the state department, speaking to reporters on Monday, said the primary objectives of Blinken’s visit were to ensure that the war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian group that controls around 2 million people, promotes “such behavior.” about people’s lives ”.

This includes working with the UN and the Palestinian Authority to bring relief aid to the Gaza Strip – to prevent Hamas, which the US sees as a “terrorist group” and does not speak directly.

“We hope that they [Hamas] We understand that if aid comes, and how it can be done… We hope that by doing so, it will get us on track, we hope that in the end, we will reconnect with another Palestinian Authority in Gaza. , ”Said the official.

William Lawrence, a former U.S. ambassador and international professor at American University, said he did not expect much discussion of the “peace process” on Blinken’s visit because “negotiations … and then disagreements on peace could threaten gunfire”.

Lawrence told Al Jazeera that he hoped Biden’s administration would prioritize “finding ways to promote Palestinian rights and security in peace”, adding that changes to the US approach had already been made.

“Biden officials have changed the US approach to this issue by talking about the similarities between the Palestinian rights and well-being and the rights and freedoms of Israel, even though the US wants to support the Israeli government,” he said.

“I think this trip will also help articulate a new point that Palestine is important.”

‘Marriage is over’

Imad Harb, director of research and analysis at the Arab Center in Washington DC, said Blinken’s visit was a good thing, as well as US efforts to rebuild Gaza, where hundreds of homes have been built destruction and destruction recently beaten by Israel.

“The explosion and going there, means the management is interested in seeing how this is going, but on what basis? What is he willing to give? What can he give you?” He said.

Harb told Al Jazeera that major issues, such as Palestinian independence and national independence, should be addressed – but he doubted Blinken had the power to force Benjamin Netanyahu to do whatever the Israeli Prime Minister did not want.

An anonymous secret is that if Biden’s management has a plan for what will happen after the rebuilding. “We provide these resources, resources, so that we can fix things, but what happens next?” Harb said.

“How can managers talk about [a] the answer of two countries when we know that Israel is really closed [that option] and to continue to live, to continue to build illegal settlements… If we just talk about the answer to the two countries, we can do nothing – we are just repeating word for word. ”

Sarah Leah Whitson, head of the Arab World Democracy (DAWN) think tank, said Blinken’s visit and attempt “pretended there was a bilateral response and that there was peace in trying to revive”.

“It’s like showing off at a wedding after the wedding,” he told Al Jazeera.

The Palestinian people have for many years said that a two-state solution, in which the independent state of Palestine is made up of Israel, is impossible because Israel continues to occupy Palestinian territories and the presence of other nations. 600,000 Jewish settlers in residential areas.

Whitson added that Biden and other US officials have called for equal rights for the Palestinian people – a statement he said showed a secret awareness that the two countries’ response was no longer valid.

“What needs to happen is for Biden’s administration to act as a democratic government, as a transparent system, and as a think tank that aligns with the realities that I think it is struggling with: that our way to Israel is a failure and a destructive one.”