Blinken in Mideast on mission to shore up Israel-Palestine ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Jordan on the last leg of a Mideast tour that aims to shore up an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

After meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi — whom he praised for helping bring an end to the intense violence "relatively quickly" — he flew to Jordan on Wednesday, where half of the 10 million-strong population is of Palestinian origin.

Blinken will meet King Abdullah II, following two-days of regional talks — including with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders — to throw Washington's support behind the ceasefire that ended 11 days of heavy Israeli bombing on besieged Gaza.

Following talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Blinken vowed to rebuild US relations with the Palestinians by reopening a consulate in Jerusalem, as well as give millions in aid for the war-battered Gaza.

The announcements signalled a break with US policy under former president Donald Trump, who had shuttered the diplomatic mission for Palestinians in 2019 and slashed aid to the Palestinian Authority.

READ MORE: Blinken pledges aid to Gaza, affirms importance of two-state solution

Stop in Cairo

In Cairo, Blinken on Wednesday met with Sisi for nearly two hours. 

Meeting with American diplomatic staff afterwards, he described Egypt as a "real and effective partner" that helped end the Gaza war and is helping "build something positive."

Sisi spoke to President Joe Biden last week before and after the ceasefire was announced.

"I think we both believe strongly that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equally to, to live in safety and security, to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity. And we’re working on that together," Blinken said before departing to Jordan.

The stop in Cairo, along with Biden's phone talks with Sisi, signal a closer relationship between the countries after a cooler beginning, when the US expressed concern over Sisi's human rights record.

READ MORE:Blinken backs Israeli 'right' to attack Gaza, says aid to exclude Hamas

Rebuild US ties with Palestinians

After talks with Palestinian President  Abbas in the occupied West Bank, Blinken vowed to rebuild US relations with the Palestinians by reopening a consulate in Jerusalem, as well as giving millions in aid for the war-battered Gaza.

The announcements signalled a break with US policy under former president Donald Trump, who had shuttered the diplomatic mission for Palestinians in 2019 and slashed aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Blinken has vowed to "rally international support" to rebuild the destruction in hard-hit Gaza, with the clause that its Hamas government be excluded from the process.

In the long term, Blinken evoked the "possibility of resuming the effort to achieve a two-state solution, which we continue to believe is the only way to truly assure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, and of course to give the Palestinians the state they're entitled to."

READ MORE: US offers aid, Palestine consulate but avoids engaging in peace process

Key US allies

Blinken described Egypt and Jordan as central players in trying to bring calm to the region. 

Both countries are key US allies that have peace agreements with Israel and frequently serve as mediators between Israel and the Palestinians.

Before the Gaza war, the Biden administration had kept its distance, preferring to focus on higher foreign policy priorities like China and Iran.

"The two parties of the conflict are unable, on their own, to sit on a negotiating table, and the gap between them has widened more than ever," Aboul Gheit, a former Egyptian foreign minister, wrote in the Saudi daily Asharq Al Awsat. 

"In the absence of an effective role for the US, we should expect nothing but more cycles of violence and bloodshed of innocent people."

READ MORE: Biden sends Blinken on Mideast blitz to ‘solidify Gaza ceasefire’

Creating a 'better environment'

Blinken has set modest goals for the trip, his first official visit to the Middle East as secretary of state. 

During talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday, he made clear that the US has no immediate plans to pursue peace talks between the sides, though he expressed hope for creating a "better environment" that might lead to negotiations.

That could begin with the Gaza reconstruction effort. 

The 11-day Israeli offensive killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused heavy destruction in the impoverished coastal territory. 

Preliminary estimates have put the damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League, said US commitment is critical for the region.

READ MORE: Israel stalls entry of some aid trucks into battered Gaza

Fuel to 'Palestinian division'

In Gaza, Hamas leader Yehiyeh Sinwar told journalists on Wednesday that the group welcomed international reconstruction aid, as long as it did not come from Israel, and had no objections to international oversight.

"I emphasise our commitment in Hamas that we will not take a single penny earmarked for rebuilding or humanitarian issues," he said.

"When I said we do not take money destined for aid, this is because we have comfortable sources of funds covering our activities," he said.

He also lashed out at Blinken for trying to strengthen the Palestinian Authority at Hamas' expense. "They are trying to add more fuel to the fire of Palestinian division," Sinwar said.

READ MORE: Assessing the impact of the violence visited upon Gaza

Restoring US aid

Blinken announced nearly $40 million in additional aid to the Palestinians. 

In all, the Biden administration has pledged some $360 million to the Palestinians, restoring badly needed aid that the Trump administration had cut off.

The truce that ended the Israeli attacks on Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the deeper issues plaguing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Those challenges include a hawkish Israeli leadership that seems unwilling to make major concessions, Palestinian divisions, years of mistrust and deeply rooted tensions surrounding occupied Jerusalem and its holy sites.

READ MORE: US resumes aid to Palestinians severed under Trump

Tenuous truce

The truce remains tenuous since tensions are still high in Jerusalem and the fate of the Palestinian families is not yet resolved.

On Wednesday, an Israeli court heard arguments from a Palestinian family trying to block their expulsion in Silwan, another occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood targeted by illegal Israeli settlers.

"The settlers want to take my house, to steal my house with their fake papers," said Kaet Abdel Fath el Rajabi, who said his family has lived in the building for 60 years. 

Several dozen protesters stood outside the courthouse in support of the family.

In his remarks after his meeting with Blinken on Tuesday, Netanyahu hardly mentioned the Palestinians, warning of a "very powerful" response if Hamas breaks the ceasefire while expressing support for economic development in the West Bank.

Blinken repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israel's right to defend itself. 

But he also called on leaders of all sides to chart a "better course" in hopes of laying the groundwork for peace talks aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

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