On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to convince Israel’s Arab neighbours to play a prospective role in the governance of the Gaza Strip.
Blinken arrived in Jordan late last night and met with King Abdullah today before travelling to Qatar and ending the day in the United Arab Emirates to press the wavering Muslim countries to prepare for a role in rebuilding, governing and securing Gaza if Israel achieves its goal of destroying Hamas, according to a senior State Department official.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi would only discuss a future scenario that would unite the West Bank and Gaza Strip as the basis of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
In Qatar, Blinken will discuss efforts to free more than 100 hostages believed to still be held by Hamas after an earlier Qatar-brokered agreement collapsed.
Consequently, after the US delegation gathers Arab views on the future of Gaza, it will present those positions to Israel in the coming days, as there are significant issues about Gaza’s future.
Arab leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah, called for a lasting ceasefire in the conflict, as 22,722 Palestinians had been killed by yesterday, according to Palestinian health officials, and much of the tiny Gaza enclave has been reduced to rubble.
