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22-03-2024
RIYADH: The US secretary of state has flown to the Middle East to discuss a post-war plan to govern and secure Gaza.
Antony Blinken’s talks with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia and then Egypt will focus on what the US calls “an architecture for lasting peace”.
It comes as witnesses said Israeli forces had escalated their operation around al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, carrying out a number of air strikes.
Earlier, Israel’s military said it had killed 90 gunmen there since Monday.
Separately, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are continuing in Qatar to bring about a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But there are few signs that a breakthrough is imminent.
Blinken’s sixth trip to the region since the start of the war in Gaza saw him land in Jeddah on Wednesday afternoon to meet the Saudi leadership.
Descending from the plane shortly before sundown he was greeted by waiting officials, including Mazin al-Himali from the Saudi foreign ministry, who embraced Blinken.
He is expected to meet the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, at the royal palace on Wednesday night.
State department spokesman Matthew Miller said they would discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and increase aid deliveries to Gaza, amid further dire warnings about the scale of the humanitarian crisis there.
An UN-backed food security assessment this week said 1.1 million people in Gaza were struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation, adding that a man-made famine in the north was imminent between now and May.
Also on the agenda would be “co-ordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of 7 October, a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region”, Miller added.
Blinken will travel to Cairo on Thursday to meet Egyptian leaders.
The Americans are trying to bring together a major deal that would put the internationally-recognized Palestinian Authority (PA) back into Gaza for the first time since it was driven out by Hamas 17 years ago.
Nothing has yet been drawn up, but the ideas are thought to include possible support on the ground from Arab nations, while all the parties including Israel would commit to pursuing a two-state solution, the long-held international formula for peace.
The major Arab sponsor Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel in return for access to advance US weapons and an American-backed civilian nuclear power program.
However, even if such a multi-part plan could be agreed, US officials concede it is likely only attainable in the longer term.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of PA control of Gaza. The issue is likely to be another sticking point amid an already fractious relationship with President Biden. (Int’l News Desk)
