Blinken Engages Arab Diplomats on Gaza's Future as US-Israel Relations Strain

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with top Arab diplomats in Cairo to discuss post-conflict plans for Gaza as relations between the United States and Israel soured further over Israel's war against Hamas. Blinken met the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to go over ideas for Gaza's future. A top official from the Palestine Liberation Organisation also attended. The ministers were expected to discuss the cease-fire talks and increase urgent humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza by land, air, and sea.In an earlier meeting with Blinken, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stressed the need for an immediate cease-fire and warned against the "dangerous repercussions" of any Israeli offensive in Rafah. Both parties had renewed their rejection of the forced displacement of Gazans and agreed on the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the arrival of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.As Blinken and the Arab ministers met, Gaza's Health Ministry raised the territory's death toll to nearly 32,000 Palestinians since the war began in October when Israel responded to deadly Hamas attacks on its soil. UN officials stepped up warnings that famine is "imminent" in northern Gaza.In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Blinken said Wednesday that the "gaps are narrowing" in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over another cease-fire and hostage release that the US, Egypt, and Qatar have spent weeks trying to broker. He said Hamas rejected a "strong proposal" but came back with other demands that mediators are working on.Growing disagreements between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden over the prosecution of the war will likely overshadow Blinken's meetings in Israel. They are at odds over Israel's determination to launch a major military operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge from devastating Israeli ground and air strikes further north.The United States is seeking a swift vote on a newly revised and tougher UN resolution demanding "an immediate and sustained cease-fire" to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered. Netanyahu has rejected Biden administration's repeated remonstrations that Israel's long-term security cannot be assured without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.A clear path and deadline for the formation of a Palestinian state are key requirements for Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel, something Netanyahu is keen to achieve. Blinken spent much of his time in Jeddah with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussing the normalization process, which would also include US-Saudi agreements.With tensions running high after not speaking for a month, Biden and Netanyahu held a phone call on Monday during which Netanyahu agreed to send a team of experts to Washington to discuss the Rafah plans. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will also visit Washington separately next week.