Blinken is heading back to the Middle East, this time without fanfare or visit to Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire deal and release of hostages.

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Unlike in recent mediating missions, America’s top diplomat this time is travelling without optimistic projections from the Biden administration of an expected breakthrough in the troubled negotiations.

Notably, Blinken has no public plans to go to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this trip. The Israeli leader’s fiery public statements – such as his declaration that Israel would accept only “total victory” when Blinken was last in the region in June – and some other demands have complicated earlier diplomacy.

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Israel mourns hostages killed in Gaza as ceasefire deal remains out of reach

Israel mourns hostages killed in Gaza as ceasefire deal remains out of reach
Blinken is going to Egypt for talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and others, in a trip billed as focused both on American-Egyptian relations and Gaza consultations with Egypt.
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