During his 8th trip to the Middle East, Antony Blinken will advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza

Gantz’s departure from the war cabinet may have the immediate consequence of weakening Netanyahu’s far-right backers, who detest any form of accommodation.

Antony Blinken’s Visit to the Middle East

In an attempt to advance a ceasefire agreement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took off to the Middle East on Monday; but, Hamas’s silence and Israeli politics cast doubt on his ability to succeed.

The top US ambassador was scheduled to begin his eighth trip to the area since the start of the war in Egypt and depart for Israel on Monday.

Blinken is expected to have private meetings with PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, two important US allies in the peace process.

In promotion of the elections in November, Blinken organized the visit to advance a proposal made public by President Joe Biden on May 31. Biden has intensified efforts to put an end to a war that is more damaging to civilians and has alienated segments of his support.

However, Hamas has not officially replied to the war, despite having started it with a major strike on Israel on October 7th that set off an all-out retaliation operation.

Resignation of Benny Gant

File pic: Reuters

Furthermore, even though Biden has stated that Israel is the source of his strategy, US diplomatic efforts are now faced with a new challenge following the departure on Sunday of Benny Gantz, a crucial centrist from Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

Former general Gantz, who is leading the polls to unseat Netanyahu in the event that fresh elections are required, objected to the prime minister’s failure to make the difficult choices necessary to allow for a “real victory,” such as planning a post-war strategy for Gaza.

Compared to Netanyahu, who has a history of political disagreements with Israel’s most important ally, Gantz has positioned himself as a more seamless partner for the US.

In recent weeks, Biden halted the delivery of weaponry to Israel and then withdrew his accusation that Netanyahu was extending the conflict in order to maintain his position of authority.

Although a meeting on the most recent trip was not immediately reported, Gantz regularly meets with Blinken in Israel after defying Netanyahu by traveling to Washington on his own in March.

Border crossing challenge

Gantz’s departure from the war cabinet may have the immediate consequence of weakening Netanyahu’s far-right allies, who detest compromise and have vowed to resign if Israel approves the cease-fire agreement.

The operation that liberated four Israeli detainees and, according to Palestinian officials, killed 274 others on Saturday also demonstrated to Israel that it is capable of using means other than diplomacy to free hostages, which is its top aim.

Israel would leave Gaza’s centers of population, and Hamas would release the hostages, according to Biden’s plan. The truce would be prolonged as talks toward a long-term resolution to hostilities progressed. It would initially last six weeks.

Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, stated on Sunday that it was hard to predict how the rescue effort would impact ceasefire talks.

The necessity for such types of actions would disappear if Hamas accepted the offer on the table, as the captives would be freed peacefully rather than by force, Sullivan told ABC News.

Blinken is also anticipated to discuss ways to open the main Rafah crossing into Gaza with Sisi while he is in Egypt.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has gotten worse as a result of the month-long closure, driving up the cost of already scarce supplies and escalating concerns about starvation in the blockaded area raised by the UN.

Israel has accused Egypt of causing the shutdown after seizing the border from Hamas.

Responding, Egypt—the first Arab nation to achieve peace with Israel—said that motorists feel uneasy passing through the area that is currently an Israeli roadblock.

Blinken was traveling to the area from France, where he was part of Biden’s state visit commemorating the D-Day arrival of Allied forces in German-occupied Normandy eight decades ago.

Prior to coming back on Wednesday to accompany Biden at the G7 meeting in Italy, Blinken will also pay visits to two other important Arab allies, Jordan and Qatar.