U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from the plane upon arriving at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 5.
Mark Schiefelbein/Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday, the first stop on his latest whirlwind trip to the Middle East as he seeks to make progress on a number of fronts: progress on a hostage deal, coordinating on the “day after” for Gaza, and trying to ensure the Israel-Hamas war does not escalate into a wider regional conflict.
This is his fifth trip to the Middle East since since the October 7 attacks. Here’s a deeper look at the topics he’ll raise during the trip:
On a deal to release hostages and pause fighting: A senior State Department official said it is “impossible” to predict whether there will be a breakthrough on the talks and when. “It’s one of those things where we don’t know because the ball right now is in Hamas’s court,” the official said.
On preventing a wider regional conflict: Blinken will again argue that the US actions in the region have been defensive, not escalatory. Late last week, the US launched strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack against a US base in Jordan. They have continued a drumbeat of assaults against Houthi targets.
On more aid to Gaza: “We are in conversation with the Israelis every day on a number of different humanitarian pieces, and make progress on them. But to get real breakthroughs on some of the big things, one of two things has to happen: the Secretary has to show up or the President has to get on the phone with the prime minister. So whenever we come to Israel, we come with a list of things that we’re trying to push,” the senior State Department official said.
Still, despite numerous, in-person visits by Blinken, the Israeli offensive in Gaza continues to rage after nearly four months, the humanitarian toll remains incredibly high, and US intentions for post-war Gaza have been repeatedly and publicly rebuffed by the Netanyahu administration.
In Saudi Arabia Monday, Blinken will also continue to discuss prospects for normalizing Saudi-Israeli diplomatic ties. US officials acknowledge that such an agreement cannot move forward without a two-state solution, and the conversation around the prospect has changed since October 7.