Why did you go this time? , Blinken is going to the Middle East again, just finished his visit to China Biden | U.S. State Department | Blinken

Having just finished his visit to China, US Secretary of State Blinken will rush to the Middle East next week. According to news from the U.S. State Department on the 27th, Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia from April 29th to 30th. This will be Blinken's seventh visit to the Middle East since the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October last year. Why does Blinken go again and again, and what goals does he hope to achieve?

Just a few days after finishing his trip to China, Blinken will rush to the Middle East non-stop on the 29th local time. According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department, Blinken will have multiple tasks during his trip.

First, Blinken will meet with regional partners in the Middle East to discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and release Israeli hostages.

Second, Blinken will ensure that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip continues to increase.

It is reported that the United States has recently begun construction of a terminal in the Gaza Strip, which will help deliver more aid supplies to the area. The United States also plans to cooperate with regional countries to establish maritime humanitarian corridors.

In addition, Blinken will once again emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict in Gaza from spilling over. A U.S. State Department statement said he would discuss how to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including establishing an independent Palestinian state "with security guarantees for Israel."

It is reported that Blinken will attend the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital Riyadh "to promote regional security cooperation."

Blinken will also attend the World Economic Forum's special meeting on global cooperation, growth and energy for development in Riyadh. By then, dignitaries from many Middle Eastern countries, including Palestinian President Abbas, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal, will attend the meeting. Gaza ceasefire negotiations are expected to be an important topic at the meeting.

According to an official from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Blinken will visit Israel on the 30th, but this was not mentioned in the "official announcement" of the US State Department.

This is Blinken’s seventh visit to the Middle East since the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

For more than half a year, Blinken has frequently visited Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and other regional countries. The main purpose is to prevent the conflict from spilling over, increase assistance to civilians in Gaza, and gain support for the United States' post-war plan for Gaza.

However, the analysis also points out that Blinken’s multiple visits have yielded very little results in terms of ceasefire negotiations, post-war arrangements, and preventing the escalation of humanitarian disasters, so he can only travel to the Middle East again and again.

On the one hand, ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are still floundering after months of delays.

Recently, ceasefire negotiations have stalled, but the outside world is still pushing for a ceasefire. Egypt sent a delegation to Israel on the 26th in an attempt to restart interrupted ceasefire negotiations and avoid an Israeli ground attack on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. According to Israeli and Egyptian officials, progress was made in "all aspects" of the talks. Hamas said on the 27th that it would convey its opinions on Israel’s proposal after studying it.

However, analysis points out that although both sides have made concessions in terms of releasing the number of detained persons, Israel and Hamas still have differences on core issues, and it is still difficult to say whether ceasefire negotiations can be reached. Hamas insists on a permanent ceasefire by the Israeli military, while Israel only agrees to a short-term ceasefire and still regards the elimination of Hamas as its goal.

On the other hand, although the United States has previously stated that "attacking Rafah is a red line," the Israeli army's attack on Rafah seems imminent.

Recently, Israel has sent a clear signal that "either sign an agreement or fight the law." Israeli officials also said that the latest round of negotiations will be the "last chance" for the Palestinians and Israelis to reach an agreement before the Israeli army attacks Rafah.

A series of messages passed by Israel in recent days also show that Israel is ready to attack Rafah and is only waiting for Prime Minister Netanyahu's order. The Israeli army has assembled tanks and armored vehicles near Rafah and mobilized two reserve brigades. Netanyahu has also approved plans to attack Rafah and is expected to begin evacuating civilians "soon".

Finally, the United States also faces challenges on issues such as post-war arrangements in Gaza.

Some analysts say that the Biden administration is promoting the realization of the "two-state solution" and the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, and is using this as a prerequisite to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. However, as Israeli leaders deny Palestinian statehood and Saudi Arabia regards a "two-state solution" as a prerequisite, this possibility has become increasingly remote.

Since Blinken’s previous visits have failed, public opinion can’t help but wonder: Can Blinken’s seventh visit achieve its goal?

Some analysts pointed out that Blinken is rushing to the Middle East under the banner of "putting out fires" at this time, not only for regional issues, but also to calm domestic sentiment and avoid the current President Biden losing votes due to the Gaza conflict in the election year.

The outside world has noticed that the policies adopted by the United States in the Gaza conflict have caused widespread dissatisfaction in society. Recently, student protests have occurred at more than a dozen American universities, including Columbia University, Yale University, Brown University, and Princeton University, and hundreds of people have been arrested by the police. For Biden's Democratic Party, young voters are an important vote base.