US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the latest in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face-to-face with the Israeli government when he arrives in Tel Aviv this week for his fifth visit since the attack. Hamas of October 7.
Blinken’s meetings in Israel, one of nine stops on a frenetic weeklong tour of the region, are part of what U.S. officials say is an ongoing effort to stay in touch with, and in front of, Israeli officials. in an attempt to keep Israel’s war going. machine under control as the conflict drags on.
“What happens is you walk into a room and say, ‘This is what we need to see,’” a US official told CNN, noting that progress with Israel has typically come after a visit from Blinken or a call from the President Joe Biden. Sometimes the Israelis agree with what the United States says, the official said, and sometimes they don’t, and negotiations ensue.
There are “at least a dozen real issues that we are pushing,” the official told CNN, including protecting Palestinian civilians amid a rising death toll, as well as creating conditions that would allow the aid that it is desperately needed to get to where it is needed most.
Changes by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been slow and gradual, and U.S. officials have acknowledged that “gaps” remain between what they say are Israel’s intentions and what has happened.
“We don’t tell Israel what to do, but at the same time, as close allies, these are difficult conversations that you can only have as friends and where you ask the difficult questions,” a second US official told CNN. “You ask: ‘Well, what’s your goal? What is your angle? How do you plan to achieve it? What do you think is realistic? Have you considered this, have you considered that?’”
The stakes are high in Blinken’s fifth trip, as US allies who backed Israel at the start of the war have become critical as civilian casualties rise in Gaza. Those partners will look for evidence that Israel is listening to the United States, and as tensions soar in the region, allies hope Blinken can ensure Israel has a viable plan to end the war amid concerns about a broader conflict.
Read more about Blinken’s visit.
