Tough choices for Israel in US's Middle East vision - BBC News

The US plan sees diplomatic normalisation with Arab neighbours if Israel ends its offensive.

6 days agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warBy Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondentAt a press briefing in Tel Aviv on Tuesday - after a day of meetings with Israeli leaders - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was surprisingly upbeat.

Answering a question about the future of Gaza, he said he had just delivered a "new" and "very powerful" message to the Israelis - one that would end the cycle of violence in the Middle East once and for all.

Blinken had spent the past four days travelling around the Middle East, with three objectives - persuading Israel to wind down its offensive, reducing tensions in the region, and easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

As he concluded a trip which also took in Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, US-led air strikes were launched at Houthis in Yemen. While Blinken flew back across the Atlantic, the attacks will have left him wondering how his second objective can be met.

But the news conference in Tel Aviv days before hinted at the possibility of progress on what lies ahead.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67949952?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

---