Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a visit to Israel on Oct. 22, in hopes of pushing along a cease-fire to end the Israel–Hamas war.
The Tuesday visit marks Blinken’s 11th trip to the Middle East since the outbreak of the current war on Oct. 7, 2023.
He arrived just days after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a gun battle in southern Gaza.
Israel saw Sinwar as a mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in south Israel, in which the terrorist group took around 250 hostages, left around 1,200 people dead, and set off the current Gaza conflict.
U.S. leaders joined their Israeli counterparts in celebrating Sinwar’s death, and the Biden administration positioned it as a breakthrough opportunity for progress on a deal to end the fighting in Gaza and win the release of around 100 people still held in Hamas captivity.
While celebrating Sinwar’s death, the Biden administration has also urged Israel to make greater efforts to improve humanitarian conditions for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israeli officials on Oct. 13, warning that the current humanitarian conditions in Gaza could impact continued U.S. support for Israel.
Blinken and Austin notified Israeli officials that they had a 30-day window to improve conditions in Gaza.
Miller said Blinken again addressed “the need for Israel to take additional steps to increase and sustain the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and ensure that assistance reaches civilians throughout Gaza” during his meeting with Netanyahu on Oct. 22.
Blinken also discussed post-war plans for Gaza’s governance, security, and reconstruction.
One of Israel’s primary wartime goals is to eliminate Hamas as both a militant and political force within Gaza.
While both the Biden administration and the Netanyahu government have marked Sinwar’s death as a stepping stone toward ending the Gaza conflict, Israel faces broader battles ahead.
Miller said Blinken spoke with Netanyahu about “a diplomatic resolution” to fighting in Lebanon.
Israeli forces have been trading fire with Hezbollah, another U.S.-designated terrorist group, for more than a year.
The current fighting began as Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli-controlled areas of the Golan Heights on Oct. 8, 2023, just hours after the Hamas attack.
Israeli forces returned fire into southern Lebanon, and they continued a cross-border fight for nearly a year before Israeli forces finally launched a ground assault on Oct. 1.
The Israeli attack on Lebanon runs afoul of its obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
The resolution instructs the Lebanese government to maintain control of its southern border region and keep Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River, while also instructing Israel to stay on its side of the de facto border, known as the Blue Line.
While Israeli forces had, until recently, stayed on their side of the dividing Blue Line, the Lebanese government has failed to keep Hezbollah north of the Litani River.
Miller said Blinken and Netanyahu also discussed ongoing tensions with Iran after it launched a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1.
Just days before Blinken’s visit, there was a leak of U.S. intelligence documents discussing possible Israeli preparations for retaliatory strikes on Iran.
The White House has said that President Joe Biden remains “deeply concerned” by the leak, and the Pentagon is actively investigating the matter.
But State Department spokesman Vedant Patel predicted the leak wouldn’t impact Blinken’s discussions.
Netanyahu has yet to issue a public statement regarding the leak.
The Israeli military declined a request for comment on the matter, directing questions about the incident back to the U.S. government.
