Washington

- A traditional statement from the US State Department regarding Secretary Anthony Blinken's visit to the Arab region from January 29 to January 31, which includes stops in Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah.

According to the statement, Blinken will discuss with the leaders of Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority "a set of global and regional priorities, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Iran, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and preserving the two-state solution," among others.

The visit comes two weeks after a tour by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, which included Israel and the Palestinian territories, and a week after a visit by William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to Egypt, who also arrived Thursday in Israel on a visit that also includes Occupied Palestinian Territories.

It is expected that the Israeli escalation will cloud the atmosphere of US officials' talks with the two sides, especially after the Palestinian Authority announced the cessation of security coordination with Israel following the Jenin camp massacre, which resulted in the death of 10 Palestinians.

Nothing new in a traditional visit to Cairo

The US secretary will visit Cairo "to advance the strategic partnership between the United States and Egypt and promote peace and security in the region, including joint support for the elections in Libya, and the ongoing political process in Sudan," the State Department said in a statement.

A former US diplomat told Al-Jazeera Net that Blinken's visit "will focus on the file of Palestinian-Israeli relations, after the visit of the National Security Adviser focused on the rest of the broader regional issues, such as Iranian threats, Arab-Israeli normalization, and the repercussions of the Ukraine war."

The Palestinian territories are witnessing repeated Israeli attacks that have resulted in the death of dozens of Palestinians in recent weeks, which increases the risk of an explosion, especially after the new Israeli government included hard-line ministers calling for the expulsion of the "48 Palestinians", the annexation of the West Bank and the building of more settlements there.

Egypt plays a role that Washington considers important because of its excellent relationship with Israel now, and its pragmatic relationship with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The US State Department statement indicated that Blinken will stress "the urgent need for the parties to take steps to calm tensions and put an end to what it describes as" the "cycle of violence". The minister will also discuss the importance of preserving the historical status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

US officials believe that the behavior of the extremist Netanyahu government ministers will occupy the agenda of Blinken's visit (Reuters)

Solid relationships

Regarding the reason for the visit, the former US official told Al Jazeera Net, "It is a combination of Minister Blinken's desire to supervise managing the relationship with Netanyahu, especially since President Biden's schedule is crowded and he has no intention of seeing the Israeli prime minister in the near future. Blinken also hopes to put pressure on Netanyahu So he doesn't do crazy things."

In an interview that Blinken conducted with the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago a few days ago, he referred to the strength of his relationship with Netanyahu.

The US secretary has visited Israel several times since taking office at the beginning of 2021.

"We have a relationship with Israel that has been built over many decades and through many different administrations in both the United States and Israel, and there is a commitment to Israel's security, and that will not change," Blinken said. "One of the benefits of a close relationship like that is that we can talk very directly and clearly together privately." And also in public when we have differences, including differences in approach to things that happen inside Israel, and that also won't change."

Gregory Avtandilian, a former official at the State Department and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a professor at the American University, considered that it is likely that Blinken will discuss with Netanyahu the issue of restraining his far-right ministers, such as Itamar Ben Gvir, from taking more provocative steps.

Avtandilian indicated, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that Bin Gvir's controversial visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque "not only aroused Palestinian anger, but also hindered efforts to get the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join the Abrahamic Accords."

In the opinion of the former US official, Blinken also realizes that any effort to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is unlikely at this stage, but he may hope to make some efforts to improve the quality of life of the Palestinians in order to stave off another uprising.

On the other hand, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Ambassador David Mack, indicated that Blinken will make it clear to Netanyahu that "the Biden administration is aware at its highest level of what is happening within his cabinet."

And the minister will make it clear - according to Mack - that "while Netanyahu is committed to promises that must be fulfilled not only to members of his far-right coalition, but also to Israel's first strategic ally, and when it comes to Israeli national security interests such as deterring the moves of Iran and Hezbollah, Israel will not get any help from Ben Gvir, Smotrich and Aryeh Deri, you'll even get it from Washington."


The most prominent files uploaded by Blinken

A recent study by the Congressional Research Service, the research body that provides data for members of the House of Representatives and Senators, pointed to 5 major issues around which the United States' relations with Israel are currently centered, most notably:

  • The future of American aid to Israel

A bilateral memorandum of understanding signed in 2018, and approved by Congress, obligates Washington to provide military aid for 10 years at an annual amount of $3.3 billion, in addition to spending $500 million annually on Israeli missile defense programs known as "Iron Dome".

Israel is trying to ensure the continuation of the flow of aid beyond 2028 through meetings with senior US officials.

  • File Israeli-Palestinian relations

Washington reiterates its support for the two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Biden administration officials seek to help manage tensions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and to strengthen US-Palestinian relations that were strained during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

Washington regularly warns of steps by Israelis or Palestinians that could risk “sparking violence,” as it calls it, and undermining the two-state vision, including settlement expansion, settler violence, demolitions and evictions, incitement to violence, and payments to Palestinian prisoners.

Ambassador Mack expected that "there will be friction during Blinken's visit over the policies of the new Israeli government towards the Palestinians, whether inside Israel or in the territories it controls and the population it threatens in Gaza and the West Bank, especially since Biden has support in taking a tougher stance towards the Netanyahu government than The progressive majority of the American Jewish community.