US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE amid efforts to stop the war in Gaza from spreading to a regional conflict.
In Abu Dhabi, Blinken thanked the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his country’s massive contributions and efforts in delivering aid to Gaza. The UAE leader highlighted the importance of a ceasefire in Gaza.
From the UAE, he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the oasis city of Al Ula and revealed that the wealthy Gulf nation is still interested in forging ties with Israel in exchange for ending the conflict in Gaza.
Blinken had similar meetings in Qatar, Jordan, Türkiye, and Greece.
After visiting the Gulf region, Blinken traveled to Israel and held meetings with Israeli officials and its war Cabinet.
The US Secretary of State was scheduled to hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas before traveling to Egypt and returning to Washington.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates agreed to help with the reconstruction of Gaza in a post-war scenario.
To recall, the US official arrived in Türkiye last week to mark the first leg of his regional visit. As his plane touched down in Istanbul, only US Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake met him at the tarmac, with no Turkish officials in sight to give him a warm welcome.
Before leaving the United States, Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside his home in Virginia and doused his special car with red paint to condemn his upcoming tour to the Middle East.
Moreover, thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of the Jordanian capital of Amman to show support for Palestine ahead of Blinken’s visit.
This is Blinken’s fourth tour to the Middle East in just three months since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
