Truce elusive as Blinken's 8th Middle East trip ends in vain

CAIRO/GAZA — Violence continued to rage in Gaza as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up another disappointing Middle East tour to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas with little outcomes.

Blinken's visit followed US President Joe Biden's new cease-fire proposal presented on May 31. However, more hurdles emerged for the proposal after the US top diplomat failed to bridge differences between the warring sides during his eighth trip to the region since the outbreak of the conflict.

Before leaving Egypt on Monday, Blinken asserted that Israel had accepted the cease-fire proposal, supported by regional countries, even though Israel has not publicly confirmed this. Blinken emphasized that the immediate priority was to pressure Hamas to accept the proposal, calling Hamas "the only obstacle" to a cease-fire.

On Tuesday, Hamas responded through mediators in Qatar and Egypt, proposing modifications. This angered Israel, which claimed Hamas' response was a rejection. In Doha on Wednesday, Blinken acknowledged some of Hamas' amendments as feasible, but labeled others "unworkable".

Hamas later denied suggesting new ideas, stating, "All we did was to reaffirm our commitment to what was presented on May 5 by the mediators, and we did not discuss any new ideas or proposals."

"Blinken's visit evaded real issues and aimed to pressure Palestinians. It is merely a reaffirmation of US support for Israel, continuing its role as a disrupter," Palestinian political analyst Hussam Al-Dajani said.

Analysts argue that Washington's lack of neutrality undermines its role as an effective mediator in the conflict. As the US cease-fire proposal faces fallout, Blinken is quick to blame Hamas.

In Qatar, the final stop of his visit, Blinken continued his criticism of Hamas during a joint news conference with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani.

"I think it will be clear to everyone around the world, that it's on them and that they will have made a choice to continue a war that they started," Blinken said.

Al-Thani diverged from Blinken's stance, suggesting that pressure should be applied to both sides. He cited Israeli actions, including in Rafah, as hindrances to cease-fire efforts.

Mokhtar Ghobashy, secretary-general of the Al-Farabi Center for Political Studies in Egypt, contends that forcing Hamas into an agreement with Israel, whose government seeks to eliminate the Palestinian faction under US protection, is unfair.

"The problem with the US initiative is that it does not clearly commit to a cease-fire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, or a precise timeline for Gaza's reconstruction," Ghobashy said.

Biased stance

Analysts also highlighted that Biden, Blinken and other US officials praised Israel's rescue of four hostages last week, which resulted in the deaths of more than 270 Palestinian civilians and complicated cease-fire efforts as it emboldened Israel and solidified the biased stance Washington is taking.

"What exacerbates the situation is the US bias toward Israel, disregarding Palestinian casualties to support its ally. The Palestinians cannot rely on the United States to act as an impartial mediator in these negotiations," Al-Dajani said.

Meanwhile, the conflict continues to escalate in the region.

Israeli helicopters struck Rafah on Thursday, residents said, with militants reporting street battles in Gaza's southern city.

Tensions also soared on Israel's northern border with more attacks by Lebanese Hamas ally Hezbollah targeting military positions.

Israeli ground forces have operated in Rafah since early May, despite widespread alarm over the fate of Palestinian civilians there and an International Court of Justice ruling later that month.

Eyal Zisser, vice-rector of Tel Aviv University and professor of Middle Eastern and African history, stated that Israel's goal is to dismantle Hamas' military and governance capabilities, so the conflict is unlikely to end until this goal is achieved.

Xinhua - Agencies