Blinken’s visit puts spotlight on US limitations in Mideast
JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank with no visible signs of progress toward halting one of the deadliest outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years.
The anemic outcome highlighted what appears to be the limited influence the Biden administration has over Israel’s new government, which is dominated by hard-line nationalists who oppose concessions toward the Palestinians. But it also reflected a yearslong process that has turned the U.S. into little more than a conflict manager — drawing Palestinian accusations that Washington is a dishonest broker with a bias toward Israel.
Blinken arrived at a particularly tense time — ending a month in which 35 Palestinians and seven Israelis were killed.
The bloodshed overshadowed what was meant to be a mission to establish working relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new far-right government. Instead, Blinken spent much of his time trying to defuse tensions.
Before returning to the U.S., Blinken said both sides had voiced their readiness to restore calm and that he had instructed two senior officials to remain in the region. He also reiterated the long-term U.S. goal of working toward a two-state solution that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel under a final peace settlement.
“Restoring calm is our immediate task. But over the longer term, we have to do more than just lower tensions,” he said.
It was a familiar message
expressed by a string of U.S. administrations — but based on the bitter experiences of his predecessors — one that is unlikely to bear fruit.
In the short run, Blinken must contend with Israel’s most right-wing government ever — a collection of religious and ultranationalist politicians who oppose concessions to the Palestinians and rule out Palestinian independence.
On the eve of Blinken’s arrival, Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians in response to a pair of shootings in east Jerusalem last weekend — including an attack that killed seven people outside a synagogue in a Jewish settlement.
Those measures include plans to step up West Bank settlement construction and the demolition of the homes of attackers’ families.
Blinken said the U.S. would oppose “anything” that undermines hopes of a two-state solution, including settlement construction built on occupied lands sought by the Palestinians. Some 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas
captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians.
But he gave no indication on how the U.S. might respond if Israel presses ahead with such moves, and reiterated longstanding lines about the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and “shared values” between the countries.
In a sign of what could lie ahead if the U.S. pushes the new government, Israeli Cabinet Minister Orit Strock, a member of a religious ultranationalist party, lashed out at Blinken’s call for a commitment to human rights and rule of law.
“Blinken needed to respect Israeli sovereignty. We’re not the 51st or 52nd state of the U.S.,” Strock said.
In his meeting with Blinken, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed for more U.S. involvement.
“Our people will not accept the continuation of the occupation forever, and regional security will not be strengthened by violating the sanctity of the holy sites, trampling on the dignity of the Palestinian people and ignoring their legitimate rights to freedom, dignity and independence,” he said.