Blinken’s Middle East visit: ‘What can he offer?’

US state department says Antony Blinken aims to cement Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but experts question long-term strategy.

United States President Joe Biden has dispatched his top diplomat to the Middle East just days after an Egypt-brokered ceasefire was reached to end the Israeli military’s deadly 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets towards Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv for the first leg of his four-day trip, during which he will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will then travel to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank where he will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in efforts to “solidify” the ceasefire. Blinken will travel on to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan this week “to discuss essential follow-up efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce risks of further conflict over the coming months”.