Antony Blinken to Meet With Saudi Arabia and UAE Leaders

Paresh Jadhav

10 months ago

People who have worked with Antony Blinken say he brings clarity in communication as well as moral urgency. Furthermore, he shows empathy towards those suffering.

On his trip, the top US diplomat will meet with regional leaders facing numerous challenges such as trying to prevent Gaza’s war from intensifying and expediting humanitarian aid deliveries.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Saudi Arabia’s UAE leaders to avert a larger Middle East conflict

The US secretary of state’s visit to the region aims at assuring Gulf monarchies that Washington remains committed to helping defend against attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen, where fuel and food shortages have worsened the plight of millions. His trip also coincides with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulting in wheat and fuel prices skyrocketing across North African economies that depend on imports for survival.

Antony Blinken has traveled through Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates meeting with leaders and officials. Additionally he will visit Egypt as a regional mediator as well as Palestine Authority for meetings.

At every stop he made, he stressed the Biden administration’s support for Israel and pressed countries to help prevent Israel and Hamas’ current conflict from expanding into a larger conflict that may cause civilian deaths. Additionally, he called upon Hamas to release all 29 American hostages currently held captive by them.

Blinken’s visit comes as a U.S.-led effort to prevent a conflagration in the region falters

Since Hamas’s deadly October 7 attack against Israel, the US has struggled to prevent regional war. Their efforts in Gaza largely failed – with Israel unleashing airstrikes and ground invasion that have killed over 22,835 Palestinians since.

Sheikh Mohammed warned Blinken in their meeting that Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza could have catastrophic repercussions and demanded an immediate cease-fire. Furthermore, he asked Blinken to press Israel for greater humanitarian access to this besieged Palestinian enclave.

He urged the US to prevent “the conflict from metastasising, creating even greater suffering for people in the region.” His visit comes at a time of rising tensions surrounding Yemen’s war, after Jake Sullivan, Blinken’s national security advisor visited Jeddah last week and met with Crown Prince Mohammed; an American official described their meeting as being very productive; additionally Sullivan met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – longstanding adversary of America – during their visit.

Blinken’s visit comes as the U.S.-Saudi relationship deteriorates

White House national security adviser John Bolton will travel to Saudi Arabia shortly to work on several pressing issues, including Yemen’s civil war, encouraging an Israeli peace process and mediating between rival generals in Sudan. Bolton hopes that Saudi Arabia can pull further away from Russia with respect to oil prices which have fluctuated due to Russia breaching OPEC+ commitments by increasing production.

Blinken’s tour, which started in Israel, seeks to engage key Arab leaders in order to contain and prepare for life after Gaza war has come to a close. He may raise concerns regarding humanitarian impact of conflict as well as needing an inclusive post-war plan, while simultaneously encouraging further reconciliation between Israeli and Arab states after initial discussions were suspended by fighting over Gaza war. Furthermore, Iran and global energy markets will likely also come up during his discussions.

Blinken’s visit comes as the U.S.-Lebanon relationship deteriorates

Blinken has long championed European integration and believes it to be vitally important to work closely with allies, adhere to international agreements, and assume leadership. He sees even greater significance today for US engagement and leadership than before.

Blinken held meetings with leaders from Qatar, Jordan and Turkey in an attempt to allay worries that Israel’s war with Hamas could escalate into regional conflict. He advised them to consider financial or in-kind contributions to Gaza to assist planning its future when fighting stops.

He argued that protecting civilians on both sides was crucial and that any comprehensive settlement must take into account Hezbollah missile attacks in Lebanon and Iranian-backed attacks against Israeli bases in Iraq. He stressed the US commitment to creating a regional peace deal which ensures Israel’s security as well as moving toward creating a Palestinian state, while calling upon Houthi rebels’ attacks against commercial shipping in Red Sea and Yemen to cease.