U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off a new Middle East crisis tour Monday as he arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh to renew the push for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The top U.S. diplomat will also visit Jordan and Israel on his seventh visit to the region since Israel launched its brutal war on the Palestinian territory following the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
In Saudi Arabia, Blinken is also expected to hold new talks with the Saudi leadership on the potential normalization of relations with Israel, a State Department official said.
Saudi Arabia was considering the step – which would carry massive significance as the kingdom is the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites – before Oct. 7.
The United States has sought to keep up the momentum, dangling the prospect of normalization to encourage moderation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime opponent of Palestinian statehood.
Blinken will also meet in Riyadh with several Gulf Arab and European foreign ministers who are visiting for a World Economic Forum meeting and Gulf Cooperation Council talks.
He will discuss with the countries "day-after" plans for reconstruction of post-war Gaza, the State Department official said.
Plans could include funding to rebuild Gaza – the vast majority of whose people have been displaced – or support for installing new governance structures as Israel pursues its goal of wiping out Hamas.
Blinken arrived hours after President Joe Biden and Netanyahu spoke by telephone about ongoing talks to halt Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip in return for the release of hostages.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce between Israel and Hamas for months, as public pressure mounts for a deal.
Biden also reiterated concerns about Israel launching an operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken shelter.
