Blinken on a visit to Saudi Arabia: "Further coordination of moves in the region is required to avoid a conflict"

American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived today (Monday) in Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue of governance and "the day after" in Gaza after the end of the war with Israel. He referred to the hostage deal that is on the agenda and claimed: "Hamas is faced with an extraordinarily generous offer – he must decide quickly. I hope he will make the right decision."

He also said that the Iranian attack on Israel represented a dangerous change in stability in the region, and that further coordination of moves in the region was required to prevent a conflict, and this was probably in connection with the military maneuver that took place last night , with the participation of Saudi Arabia and Israel against the Iranian threat.

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Blinken also referred to the Israeli operation in Rafah, saying: "We have not yet seen from Israel a plan for the operation in Rafah that guarantees the protection of the civilians." In a direct continuation, he said that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip will be the focus in the coming days.

He added that there seems to have been "measurable progress" in the humanitarian aid situation for the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks, but according to him "there is a great need for aid". He also mentioned that according to him, the most effective way to ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza is to achieve a ceasefire.

As for the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, he added that he would discuss with the GCC, the Gulf Cooperation Council, to maintain the trade routes and to deal with the Houthi attacks.

In addition to this, Blinken will arrive in Israel later this week and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the aim of trying to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, against the background of the talks for a ceasefire and a deal for the return of the abductees and at the same time preparations for a possible operation in Rafah.

As for the hostage deal, British Foreign Minister David Cameron has already had time to speak out and say that "there is a generous offer for a 40-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages", for which he says thousands of Palestinian prisoners may be released. "The current conflict will not end until all the abductees are released," Cameron stressed.

Moreover, he called on the Hamas leadership to leave Gaza as a condition for progress to two states, which is added to the statement of Joseph Borrell , the European Union's foreign minister, according to which several countries will recognize a Palestinian state by the end of May.

On the subject of the cease-fire, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Kano responded: "Our demands are legitimate demands and are unanimously agreed upon by all factions. Without us accepting our demands for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza and the return of all displaced persons to their homes, no agreement will succeed. Ensuring a permanent ceasefire is an essential basis for the progress of negotiations."

As mentioned, Blinken met in Riyadh with senior Saudi leaders and also held a broader meeting with his counterparts from five Arab countries – Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan – and this is to advance the discussions on what governance in the Gaza Strip will look like after the war, according to a senior State Department official. The Secretary of State is also expected to bring Arab countries together with European countries and discuss how Europe can assist in the reconstruction efforts of the Gaza Strip.

The Jordanian foreign minister said at the end of the meetings that "the world must confront Netanyahu and not allow him to drag the region into war." The Egyptian foreign minister said that they are "calling on Israel and Hamas to make concessions", and regarding the impending deal he said that they "feel optimistic about the proposed proposal, and are waiting for the final decision of both sides".

As for Israel, Blinken will also discuss with the authorities in Saudi Arabia efforts to establish a normalization agreement between the Kingdom and Israel, in the framework of which Washington will grant Riyadh agreements on security and bilateral commitments as well as nuclear cooperation.

In Amman, the American official will meet with senior Jordanian officials and humanitarian organizations. "Blinken will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza and will emphasize the importance of ensuring that this increase continues," the US State Department said yesterday.

Blinken's visit comes about a month after US President Joe Biden sent a stern warning to Netanyahu, saying that Washington's policy could change if Israel does not take steps to address harm to civilians and the safety of aid workers in the Strip.