U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein during the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State on Sept. 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Credit: Kevin Dietsch/AFP)
In a lengthy article published in the American magazine Foreign Affairs on the foreign policy of the Biden administration, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken linked the progress of Israel's diplomatic normalization process with Arab countries to the end of the conflict that has ravaged Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
“Without an end to the war in Gaza and a credible, time-limited pathway toward the creation of a state that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians and Israel’s security needs, the normalization process cannot advance,” the diplomat wrote, before making a case for Washington's efforts to attempt — albeit unsuccessfully — to contain the security tensions that have engulfed the Middle East for nearly a year. While the conflict between Hamas and Israel in Gaza remains ongoing, Israel has been carrying out deadly bombings in Lebanese territory to target Hezbollah, which is deployed in the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as in large parts of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Before this new wave of violence began, Israel was ramping up contacts to expedite its diplomatic normalization process with other Gulf countries, starting with Saudi Arabia. This process began with agreements signed about four years ago with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. About 10 days ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that normalization was impossible without the creation of a Palestinian state, a prospect rejected by Israel (the Knesset passed a resolution to this effect last July).
"Relentless Efforts" by Washington
While the current situation in the Middle East appears to offer little hope for diplomacy to prevail over arms, Blinken assures in his piece that the "visits" he has made to the region since the start of the "Gaza war" have confirmed that there is a pathway toward greater peace and integration, provided that leaders are willing to make difficult decisions.
He also noted that the Biden administration, which is nearing the end of its term—with the next elections scheduled for No 5—has "worked tirelessly with its partners in the Middle East and beyond to end the conflict and suffering in Gaza, find a diplomatic solution that allows Israelis and Lebanese to live securely on both sides of the border, manage the risk of a broader regional war, and work toward greater integration and normalization in the region, including between Israel and Saudi Arabia."
If the efforts in this regard "succeed," Blinken believes normalization will enable Israel to be integrated into a regional security architecture, unlock economic opportunities throughout the region, and isolate Iran and its proxies. He emphasized that "the coalition of countries, including Arab states, that helped Israel defend against an unprecedented direct attack from Iran in April has shown signs of such integration," referring to the Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel in mid-April of this year.
The diplomat also implicitly acknowledges the dismal failure of Washington's efforts. "Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed in a conflict they did not start and cannot stop. Almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced... A hundred hostages remain in Gaza, either already killed or still held under brutal conditions by Hamas. All this suffering makes our efforts to end the conflict, prevent its recurrence, and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and security in the region even more urgent," he summarized.
Criticism of Iran and Russia
He criticized Russia, which was a "close partner of Israel" before October 7, 2023, for "strengthening its ties with Hamas." He also pointed out that Russia has "increased its military and technical support for Iran and accelerated negotiations for a strategic partnership with that country, even as Tehran continued to arm, train, and fund proxies that have perpetrated terrorist attacks against American personnel and partners in the Middle East and against international maritime traffic in the Red Sea."
Tehran and its "proxies" (Blinken never explicitly names Hezbollah or the Houthis in his piece) are accused of having "taken advantage of the chaos to revive arms trafficking circuits in the region and exacerbate unrest." The American diplomat further argues that "the unilateral and ill-advised withdrawal of the Trump administration from the Iran nuclear deal freed Tehran's nuclear program from its confinement, jeopardizing the security of the United States and its partners." He believes the Biden administration has "demonstrated to Iran that there is a path toward mutual return to compliance with the agreement—if Tehran is willing to take it—while maintaining a robust sanctions regime and our commitment to never allow it to acquire a nuclear weapon."
