Secretary of State Antony Blinken has canceled a journey to the Middle East that was intended to strengthen ties between Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Arab neighbors.
The Associated Press reports that both of Blinken’s scheduled trips to Saudi Arabia and Morocco are highly likely to be canceled. However, Blinken may still travel to Israel.
Just as the United States was negotiating the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. The action would have been a significant victory for all parties involved but a significant loss for Iran, which has long supported Hamas’ terrorism in Gaza.
In August, Israel and Saudi Arabia struck a preliminary agreement to normalize relations. The agreement, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would have exchanged recognition for concessions to Palestinians, U.S. assistance in constructing a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia, and U.S. security guarantees.
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Saudi Arabia has consistently criticized Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing conflict may scupper talks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has cautioned that the conflict with Hamas will be “long and difficult.” Since Saturday, the Israeli military has launched more than a thousand airstrikes in Gaza, and according to Netanyahu, they are just getting started.
“What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations,” Netanyahu warned on Monday.
So far, Israel has issued warnings to civilians in areas of Gaza City and elsewhere where they intend to launch attacks. The warnings have provided civilians with a few moments to evacuate, thereby reducing the number of civilian fatalities.
Hamas has threatened to begin executing captured Israelis if unprovoked attacks target civilians. According to Israel, Hamas holds over 150 soldiers and civilians captive in Gaza.
As Israel may launch a ground invasion to eradicate Hamas from Gaza, the conflict is anticipated to intensify.
Israel’s military announced Tuesday morning that it had regained effective control over areas near the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, which had been violated by Saturday’s surprise attack.
