U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Unexpectedly Cancels Visit to Israel in the Middle East

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is currently on his tenth trip to the Middle East since the Hamas attacks on October 7. Notably, this time Blinken does not have Israel on his itinerary, even though his official aircraft could cover the distance in an hour. This is the first time since the Hamas attacks that Blinken travels to the region without meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. US officials indicated that neither the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah devices across Lebanon on Tuesday nor another round of detonations on Wednesday will prompt Blinken to change his plans. Despite concerns over a potential larger conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based group, Blinken is refraining from visiting Israel. In the background is the stalemate in efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, a central priority for President Biden as his term nears its end. US officials are working on a new proposal they hope will bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas. The goal is to end the fighting, release hostages, and bring humanitarian aid into Gaza. At the same time, it is becoming evident that Blinken's recent visits to Israel have been increasingly less successful and may have even become counterproductive. After several recent meetings, Prime Minister Netanyahu has undermined or questioned Blinken's public positions. This leads to doubts in Washington and beyond about whether Netanyahu is genuinely willing to engage in a ceasefire agreement or whether he is acting in good faith when he speaks of such a deal.