Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East (Feb. 4-8) again, trip number five in four months. But what has he to show for it? As 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina quipped about Secretary of State Clinton’s boast of traveling thousands of miles doing the nation’s business, “unlike Hillary Clinton, I know that flying is an activity, not an accomplishment.”
Blinken Returns Again
As his travel itinerary also reflected on his last trip, Blinken will visit Arab nations before arriving in Israel. As Matthew Miller, speaking for the State Department, explained:
“The Secretary will continue diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages and includes a humanitarian pause that will allow for sustained, increased delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. He will continue work to prevent the spread of the conflict, while reaffirming that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”
Unfortunately, one of the objectives established for the round-robin cluster of discussions is predicated on a demonstrably false premise. As Liberty Nation pointed out back in December, “If it’s true that Washington has been working to ‘prevent [the conflict] from broadening beyond Gaza,’ then someone needs to mention to the White House they are late to the party. Iranian proxy forces have already expanded the conflict.” The only difference between then and now is increased intensity.
Blinken’s perennial mission seems to be to “establish a more integrated, peaceful region,” which is code for a two-state solution that the Israeli government has rejected. The establishment of a Palestinian state would legitimize a nation bent on destroying Israel. It is a failed globalist worldview that everyone, deep down, wants to live in peace with neighbors. But little in the history of this part of the world seems to support this notion.
Recent US warnings to Israel to slow down its efforts to rid the region of the murderous Hamas organization will no doubt earn Blinken a frosty reception there. “US negotiators are pushing for a cease-fire deal that could stop the war in Gaza long enough to stall Israel’s military momentum and potentially set the stage for a more lasting truce, according to US and Arab officials familiar with the negotiations,” The Wall Street Journal reported. Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu is not likely to see such negotiations as being in his country’s interest.
Listen to What Israel Says
Netanyahu has repeatedly said, in no uncertain terms, that Israel demands the release of all the hostages and the destruction of Hamas so that the terrorist organization will never again be a threat. As it stands, Blinken’s negotiating arena seems to be populated by a plethora of demands by Hamas. “Egyptian officials added that Hamas’ political leadership is also demanding the release of 3,000 Palestinian prisoners — including some who took part in the October 7, 2023, attacks — in return for 36 Israeli civilian hostages,” noted an Institute for the Study of War report. Trading a disproportionately large number of Palestinian criminals and terrorists for relatively few Israeli hostages has already been done, but including participants in the Oct. 7 massacre is probably a non-starter.
“Hamas has said it would only be willing to release the hostages in exchange for an end to the war, something that Israel has said it wouldn’t agree to,” according to the WSJ report. US insistence that Israel allow Hamas to reconstitute in Gaza, which places Israel’s future at risk, seems mind-boggling. Perhaps listening to the people most impacted by the terrorists will make Blinken’s future trips to the Middle East more than just an activity.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
