U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is stepping up frantic diplomacy, trying to build support for planning a post-conflict future for Gaza. On his second urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, Blinken was meeting Saturday in Amman with senior Jordanian and other Arab officials. The meeting comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly snubbed Blinken's blunt warning that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal unless it eases the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Arab world remains angry and deeply suspicious of Israel as it intensifies its war against Hamas. Arab states have thus far resisted suggestions they play a larger role, believing Gaza to be a problem largely of Israel’s own making.
