Blinken studies with his Arab allies how to stop the expansion of the war in Gaza

After three months of the war in the Gaza Stripthe US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke today with the authorities of Jordan and Taste the formulas to avoid a regional expansion of the conflict and its repercussions, which he considered “a matter of global concern.”

This is Blinken’s fourth tour in the Middle East since the start of hostilities and, although the first three focused on the defense of Israel’s military campaign and the need to increase the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in The latter, the discourse has focused on the possible repercussions of a conflict that is far from coming to an end.

“This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and suffering. “From day one, we have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading,” Blinken said at a press conference from Doha with his Qatari counterpart, Mohamed bin Abderrahman.

“Deep tension” in the Middle East

The American stated that “This is a moment of deep tension in the region,” and indicated that Qatar and the US share the commitment to use their “influence, relationships and links” with different parts “to avoid escalation and avoid new fronts” of war.

“It is not just a regional issue, but a matter of global concern”Blinken said, referring specifically to Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.

He alleged that these attacks are “directly affecting citizens, cargo and commercial interests of more than 40 countries”, while he assured that they caused the interruption or diversion of almost the twenty% of global maritime transport.

“These Houthi attacks are harming people around the world, especially the poor and vulnerable populations, including in Yemen and Gaza.”assured Blinken, who thus defended the international naval alliance led by the United States in the Red Sea to confront these actions.

And in addition to the Houthi attacks, the region is the scene of an intensification of the exchange of fire between the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and Israel, in addition to the actions of pro-Iranian Iraqi militias against Washington positions in Syria and Iraq, something that is causing alarm. alarms throughout the Middle East.

Return of Palestinians to Gaza

From Doha, Blinken also advocated for the return of Palestinians to their homes “as soon as conditions permit,” since almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced and is largely concentrated in the south of the enclave, according to the UN.

“They are not owed, cannot be pressured to leave Gaza“said Blinken, who added that he condemned the recent statements by two Israeli ministers about the reoccupation of Gaza and the “resettlement” of the Palestinians outside the enclave, words that he described as “irresponsible and incendiary.”

Likewise, he maintained his tone of condemnation in the face of the overwhelming death toll – around 23,000 in three months – as a result of Israeli operations against the enclave, the vast majority of whom are women and children.

“We continue to raise with Israel the need to do everything possible to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and I will do so again when I am there later this week. I will also raise the imperative to do more to avoid civilian casualties. “Too many innocent Palestinians have already been killed,” he asserted.

Calls for an immediate ceasefire

In their quest to convince their Arab counterparts to exert their influence to achieve a ceasefire and prevent the spread of the conflict, both Qatar and Jordan reminded Blinken that Washington perhaps has more tools than they do to pressure Israel to end its offensive.

This was conveyed to him by the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, bluntly reminding him of the importance of the United States’ role in pressing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protecting civilians and guaranteeing the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical.

In Amman, the monarch warned Blinken of thes “disastrous repercussions of continued aggression” Israeli against the Strip and recalled that the Middle East “will not enjoy stability without a just solution to the Palestinian question” based on the two-state solution.

In this regard, Blinken did agree with the president and stressed his country’s commitment to achieving lasting peace through “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state”the option that the Arab community and a large part of the international community are advocating to end the war.

In the face of criticism and condemnation for the “double standard” American, Blinken also visited a facility in Jordan of the World Food Program (WFP), from where he said that it is “imperative” maximize assistance to people in need in Gaza and condemned the fragile situation of more than 2.2 million Gazans.

As part of his regional tour, Blinken will visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the West Bank, Israel and Egypt in the coming days to discuss the de-escalation of the conflict, the status of negotiations for a ceasefire, the increase in humanitarian aid and the release of captive hostages in Gaza.