Blinken Visits Egypt, but Skips a Stop in Israel

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was in Egypt on Wednesday, making his 10th visit to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. But he has no plans to visit Israel before he departs on Thursday, even though his official plane could carry him there in about an hour.

It will be the first time since the Hamas attacks that Mr. Blinken has traveled to the region without stopping in Israel to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.

U.S. officials gave no indication that the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday, and more devices on Wednesday, would change Mr. Blinken’s plans, despite U.S. concerns that a larger war between Israel and the Lebanon-based group could be near.

Mr. Blinken’s decision not to visit Israel partly reflects a deadlock in efforts to strike a cease-fire deal in Gaza, one of President Biden’s top priorities as his term winds down. U.S. officials are drawing up a new proposal they hope can bridge differences between Israel and Hamas to allow for a halt to the fighting, the release of hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

But officials and analysts also said it was clear that Mr. Blinken’s visits to Israel have had diminishing returns and may even be growing counterproductive.

After several recent meetings, Mr. Netanyahu has undermined or outright contradicted Mr. Blinken’s public positions. That has raised questions in Washington and beyond about whether the Israeli leader is persuadable — or even acting in good faith when he says he wants a cease-fire deal.