Antony Blinken visits Saudi Arabia to talk about Gaza’s post-war governance | Global News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of a broader trip to the Middle East to discuss the post-war governance of Gaza once the conflict with Israel comes to an end.

Blinken is set to meet with senior Saudi leaders and hold a wider meeting with counterparts from five Arab states – Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan – to further discussions on what governance of the Gaza Strip would look like after the war.

The discussions will also involve bringing together Arab countries with European states to explore how Europe can contribute to the rebuilding efforts of Gaza, which has been devastated by the six-month-long Israeli bombardment.

The United States shares Israel’s objective that Hamas needs to be removed from Gaza’s future, but Washington does not support Israel re-occupying the strip. Instead, the US is looking at a structure that includes a reformed Palestinian Authority with support from Arab states.

Blinken will also discuss efforts for a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which includes Washington providing Riyadh with agreements on bilateral defense and security commitments as well as nuclear cooperation.

The trip will continue to Jordan and Israel, with a focus on improving the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Blinken will meet with senior Jordanian officials and humanitarian groups to assess the improvements and identify further actions needed to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.