Here’s a look at what came out of Blinken’s 11th trip to the Middle East

LONDON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s weeklong travel to nan Middle East ended unexpectedly successful London connected Friday, but nan deficiency of a cease-fire breakthrough for Gaza came arsenic nary astonishment to U.S. and Arab officials, who described nan increasing location conflicts arsenic a “nightmare.”

The travel to Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had been expected aft President Joe Biden said this period that he would dispatch Blinken to nan region pursuing Israel’s killing of Hamas subject main Yahya Sinwar, a move that Blinken said helped unfastened a model for caller talks connected a cease-fire proposal that has been languishing for months.

Blinken and different U.S. officials discussed various proposals that could perchance trigger nan merchandise of Israeli hostages and extremity nan devastating war successful Gaza. The main chat this week was much focused connected a post-war scheme for Palestinian governance, reconstruction and information for nan larger region.

The effect of nan warfare was connected afloat show connected Blinken’s past time successful Tel Aviv, erstwhile soon earlier departing for nan airdrome Wednesday, air ambush sirens blared astatine nan hotel wherever U.S. officials and property had been staying. The Israeli subject said 2 rockets fired into Israel from Lebanon were intercepted, pinch fume visible from nan hotel.

Here are immoderate takeaways from Blinken’s 11th sojourn to nan Middle East since nan Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza began complete a twelvemonth ago:

Reigniting bid talks

While expectations were debased for an statement betwixt Israel and Hamas militants, America and Israel did denote that aft respective weeks pinch nary meetings, U.S. and Israeli negotiators will beryllium arriving successful Qatar successful nan coming days to revive talks.

Qatar has served arsenic a cardinal mediator betwixt Israel and Hamas. Blinken, speaking to reporters Thursday successful nan Qatari capital, Doha, said negotiators would soon return to nan Gulf city.

“What we really person to find is whether Hamas is prepared to engage,” Blinken said. But Hamas’ governmental representatives person not truthful acold signaled a softer stance.

“There is nary alteration successful our position,” elder Hamas charismatic Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese broadcaster.

Hamdan said their delegates heard from mediators successful Cairo astir nan imaginable to revive cease-fire negotiations, but he reiterated that nan group still insists connected an extremity to Israel’s violative successful Gaza, arsenic good arsenic its complete withdrawal from nan territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s agency said nan caput of nan Mossad, nan country’s spy agency, would recreation to Qatar connected Sunday to meet pinch CIA head Bill Burns and nan Qatari premier minister.

Laying retired reddish lines

Throughout nan trip, nan U.S. questioned aspects of Israel’s handling of nan war, raising concerns astir a controversial scheme successful bluish Gaza arsenic good arsenic pushing its state to adhere to U.S. humanitarian rule regarding nan insufficient level of assistance reaching Palestinians.

Before leaving Tel Aviv, Blinken and different U.S. officials cornered Netanyahu and members of his authorities regarding a connection backed by immoderate Israeli officials successful which civilians would beryllium ordered to time off nan northbound and anyone remaining would beryllium starved out aliases killed.

A elder State Department charismatic said Tuesday that some Netanyahu and his adjutant Ron Dermer denied having a connection titled nan “General’s Plan” and that it was damaging for specified a cognition to moreover exist.

The official, who said connected information of anonymity to talk nan backstage talks, said nan U.S. responded by imploring nan Israelis to spell to awesome lengths to make it clear publically that this is not their policy.

In that aforesaid meeting, Blinken besides broached nan rumor of assistance getting into Gaza, pursuing up connected a stern letter issued by him and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin precocious that called for a remedy to nan dire business connected nan crushed for Palestinians.

Blinken, according to nan official, laid retired a bid of areas wherever nan Israelis needed to improve, providing a 30-day deadline to statesman seeing progress.

Days later successful Doha, Blinken announced an further $135 cardinal successful U.S. assistance to nan Palestinians but said again that nan assistance would beryllium hopeless if it is not capable to get to nan civilians successful need.

Frustration from Arab partners

Many Arab leaders this week publically expressed their exasperation astatine nan position of nan cease-fire negotiations much than a twelvemonth into nan conflict. Qatar’s premier minister, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said he was sad that mediators sewage truthful adjacent to a deal respective times successful caller months only to beryllium derailed.

“Every clip we sewage person to a solution, unfortunately, location were galore steps back,” he told reporters Thursday successful Doha.

He added that going forward, location would beryllium consequences “should location beryllium immoderate of nan parties that garbage to beryllium constructively portion of nan negotiations.”

Jordan’s overseas minister, Ayman Safadi, took it moreover further, saying straight to Blinken during a gathering Friday successful London that nan “Israeli authorities is not listening to anyone,” and arsenic a result, nan conflicts person became a “nightmare that nan region is continuing to unrecorded through.”

“The only way to prevention nan region from that is for Israel to extremity nan aggressions connected Gaza, connected Lebanon, extremity unilateral illegal measures of nan West Bank that is besides pushing nan situation,” Safadi said.

Running retired of time

Many questioned if nan timing of nan travel was nan Biden administration’s 11th-hour effort to execute moreover nan astir humble of breakthroughs successful nan region earlier nan U.S. statesmanlike election.

Blinken, instead, pointed to Sinwar’s decease arsenic providing a much-needed opening for mediators who had spent nan past period trying to get backmost to nan negotiating table.

The discussions astir a post-war scheme are being pushed by nan U.S. arsenic a measurement to rebuild goodwill among nan various stakeholders aft respective lethal strikes complete nan summer, including 2 that took retired nan leaders of Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

This is nan past clip Blinken will beryllium successful nan region earlier Election Day successful 11 days, and Democrats had hoped for a cease-fire woody by nan clip Americans began to vote.

That would person helped alleviate nan serious disapproval galore voters person had toward Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance connected nan war. Critics opportunity nan Biden management has not gone acold capable to deter Israel’s behaviour of nan war, which has near much than 42,000 Palestinians dead.

Local wellness authorities do not differentiate betwixt militants and civilians successful their count but opportunity women and children dress up much than half nan fatalities.