Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned from a seven-day tour of the Middle East, visiting nine countries to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and conflicts that threaten a broader regional war.
Arab states are willing to partner with the United States on short- and long-term solutions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, but only if Israel actively participates, according to his spokesman Matt Miller. That's what it means.
“We visited nine countries, met their leaders, and were able to reach agreements with all our Arab partners, as well as Turkey, who are willing and able to have such a dialogue. We were able to reach an agreement with the United States to begin a full-fledged agreement to improve the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, rebuild Gaza, and establish Palestinian-led governance in Gaza. We were prepared to take action.” Miller told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Friday.
“But they would only want to do that if they had an Israeli partner on the other side and if Israel was prepared to take really concrete steps to establish an independent Palestinian state.” continued Mr. Miller.
Blinken visited Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and the West Bank to continue diplomatic talks amid rising regional tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. .
Blinken's visit to the region was his fourth since Hamas invaded Israel in a surprise attack on October 7, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages. In the months since then, Israel has waged a deadly and devastating counterattack, killing more than 23,000 Palestinians and displacing nearly the entire population of the region.
“It really made a difference,” Miller said during a recent visit. Because the Arab partners who spoke with them after the first attack were not ready to discuss reconstruction, security and governance of Gaza, but they are now ready.
Blinken reportedly had “very frank conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials about the partners they would gain in the Arab world if they reached a deal on the future of the Gaza Strip. That's what it means.
“But look, it's going to require tough choices, not just tough choices from our Arab partners in the region, but really tough choices from Israel,” Miller said. “Therefore, the United States cannot make such hard choices for Israel. We cannot make such hard choices for these countries.”
Miller said the U.S. will play a leading role in laying out its vision for rebuilding Gaza, and that Blinken will “continue to present” and “reach out” during his visit to the region in the coming weeks and months. I will continue.''
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