Blinken says Israel has “real opportunities” to improve relations with its neighbors.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday tried to convince Israeli officials to show more restraint in their campaign in Gaza by raising the prospect of normalized relations with Saudi Arabia should Israel reduce the suffering of Gaza residents and put the Palestinians on the path to statehood.

Israel had “real opportunities” to strengthen ties with Arab countries, Mr Blinken said on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, the final stop on a tour of the region. Concerns have been growing in the Middle East and in Washington that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza could spread to other fronts, especially where Iranian-backed militias are active.

But Israeli leaders have resisted pressure for weeks, including from their closest ally the United States, to scale back the scope of the campaign and ensure aid reaches more Palestinian civilians. Late last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appeared to reject Mr. Blinken’s call for a series of “humanitarian pauses” to allow more deliveries of desperately needed food, water, medicine and other supplies to Gaza.

Mr Blinken had on Tuesday referred to his earlier assertion that Saudi Arabia and other countries remained interested in building normal diplomatic relations with Israel despite the devastation in Gaza. But Arab leaders insist that Israel must end the Gaza war and work toward a Palestinian state, Mr. Blinken said.

At his news conference, Mr. Blinken also said Israel had agreed to allow a U.N. team into northern Gaza to assess the situation there, a prelude to any process that would allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes. “As soon as conditions allow, we want people to be able to move back into their homes,” he said.

Still, Mr. Blinken emphasized that the United States supports Israel’s right to wage war against Hamas until the Israeli hostages are returned and Hamas is no longer able to carry out the kind of cross-border attacks that killed about 1,200 people on Oct. 7.

He also dismissed as “meritless” a case brought by South Africa at the International Criminal Court accusing Israel of genocide.

Mr. Blinken reiterated that the United States strongly opposes the resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza.

Mr Blinken also met with Mr Netanyahu and Israel’s war cabinet in Kirya, a military base that houses the Defense Ministry headquarters.

At that meeting, the Foreign Minister “reaffirmed our support for Israel’s right to prevent a repeat of the October 7 terrorist attacks and emphasized the importance of avoiding further damage to the civilian population and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. in a statement.

Mr. Blinken also discussed efforts to secure the release of hostages abducted to Gaza on October 7 and the importance of expanding humanitarian assistance to Gaza civilians, and “reiterated the need to ensure lasting, lasting peace” in the region, “including through the realization of a Palestinian state,” the statement said.

Before flying to Israel on Monday evening, Mr Blinken told reporters in the desert oasis city of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia that the Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had told him there that the Saudis still had “a clear interest”. in an effort to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.

But there were at least two conditions for that, Mr. Blinken said: an end to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry; and Israel agrees to take practical steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Mr Blinken has visited Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia since embarking on his latest diplomatic mission on Friday.

In a interview Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain, said the kingdom’s talks on normalization revolved around an endpoint that included “nothing less than an independent state of Palestine.” ”

“Although we still believe in normalization – even after October 7 – this will not be at the expense of the Palestinian people,” Prince Khalid said.

The Arab leaders moved forward with their own diplomacy over the war. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to travel to Jordan to participate in a summit with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan to discuss the situation in Gaza, the Jordanian state news agency reported . Mr Blinken also plans to meet Mr Abbas during his trip.

Vivian Nereim contributed reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.