US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Israel and Palestine this week. His goal is to ease tensions: America has other things to think about.
Amid rising tensions between Palestine and Israel, the United States tries to work as mediators between the two parties. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke in Cairo on Monday regarding the renewed hostility between the two Middle East countries.
Speaking ahead of an official visit in the West Bank, Blinken called for calm and rationality. “We will be encouraging the parties to take steps to calm things down,” he said. “There is no question that this is a very difficult moment.”
Blinken went on deploring Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians, which is what sparked the current violence in the first place. According to Israeli officials, Jewish deaths from terrorist attacks reached their peak in 2022.
Last summer, a Palestinian terrorist attack killed 19 Israelis, prompting a retaliatory measure from Tel Aviv. Furthermore, the new far-right Israeli government openly approved of increased settlements in the West Bank.
The new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also endorsed last week’s raid in the Jenin refugee camp which killed 10 Palestinians. Overall, the number of Palestinian deaths reached 35 only in January.
Even at the UN meeting tensions were high, with Israeli and Palestinian officials accusing each other of escalations.
The United States had no choice but to intervene to mend relations, especially in this difficult moment for international geopolitics.
Uncle Sam and the Middle East
At the moment, the international scene is governed by any development in Ukraine. The war between Russia and Ukraine is dividing the world in half, a true resurgence of the Cold War and its proxy conflicts. And, as in the original Cold War, the United States need as many allies as possible.
The Middle East has always been a boiling pot, with changing power dynamics and constant conflicts between nations. Iran, the Middle East’s powerhouse and a fierce enemy of the United States, is a crucial wildcard.
The United States’ foothold in the region is Israel, which is loaded with American weapons and personnel. On the other hand, Palestine is supported by much of the Islamic world, including and most importantly Iran.
Iran is also a close ally of Russia, providing Moscow with their attack drones. In short, Iran would do anything to disrupt American power.
Though Iran itself is undergoing serious internal issues, its foreign policy is as active as ever. Any resurgence in conflict between Palestine and Israel would be a serious issue for Washington.
So, Anthony Blinken will have to settle the dust in his official visit. Now it is not the time for the United States to be involved in a Middle East confrontation. Not while billions in weapons are being shipped to Ukraine.
