Few reasons for optimism after Antony Blinken’s diplomatic dash
For three days, the US's top diplomat, Antony Blinken, has been dashing around the Middle East, trying to contain a situation that threatens to spin out of control.
Israel on Friday. Jordan on Saturday. The West Bank, Iraq and Turkey on Sunday.
Every stop posed its own challenges and gave reason to be pessimistic that much progress is being made. The central challenge facing the US secretary of state is that he is trying to find a middle ground where none, at the moment, exists.
On Friday, Mr Blinken encouraged Israeli leaders to make temporary pauses in hostilities in order to ease humanitarian aid and encourage hostage releases - a move the Israeli prime minister quickly rejected.ADVERTISEMENT
The next day, he met representatives of Israel's Arab neighbours. They all called ...
