Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is currently on his 10th visit to the Middle East since the October 7th Hamas attacks, but he has made a surprising decision not to include a stop in Israel this time. Despite having the ability to reach Israel within an hour on his official plane, Blinken has chosen to focus his trip solely on Egypt. This marks the first time since the attacks that Blinken has not met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials during his visit to the region.

The omission of Israel from Blinken's itinerary is partly related to the deadlock in cease-fire negotiations in Gaza, a key focus for President Biden as his term winds down. U.S. officials are currently working on a new proposal in an effort to bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas and bring an end to the fighting. However, the diminishing returns from Blinken's previous meetings with Netanyahu, where the Israeli leader has undermined or contradicted the Secretary of State's public positions, have raised doubts about the effectiveness of pressuring Israel.

Frank Lowenstein, a former special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, commented on Blinken's decision, stating, "Blinken skipping Israel is a reflection of the Biden administration's realization that trying to pressure Bibi is pointless. Bibi may tell us privately, 'Okay, I want the cease-fire and to get the hostages' - and then he goes out and says something entirely contradictory." This ongoing pattern of publicly defying the United States has led to concerns about Netanyahu's willingness to engage in good-faith negotiations.

The recent explosion of thousands of Hezbollah pagers across Lebanon, and the subsequent discovery of more devices, has caused concern among U.S. officials about the potential for a larger conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based group. Despite these events, Blinken's decision to exclude Israel from his trip has not been swayed, as the U.S. officials have not indicated any change in plans.

While Israeli officials have not dramatized Blinken's absence, citing the current impasse in cease-fire talks and blaming Hamas for the lack of progress, there is an evident friction between Netanyahu's government and the Biden administration.

Speaking from Cairo on Wednesday, Blinken focused on the relations between the United States and Egypt, without directly addressing why he had excluded Israel from his trip. He did, however, mention that Hamas and Israel had reached agreement on a majority of the provisions of a U.S.-backed cease-fire deal, with only a few outstanding points. Blinken emphasized the importance of both parties demonstrating the political will to bring the agreement to fruition.

As the diplomatic process reaches an inflection point, the United States and other countries are reassessing strategies, which likely explains Blinken's decision to exclude Israel from his visit. Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the center-left Israel advocacy group J Street, stated, "I think the fact that he's not going to Israel is an indication that they don't have something actively to promote."

With tensions escalating and the cease-fire negotiations at a standstill, the omission of Israel from Blinken's trip raises questions about the future of U.S.-Israeli relations and the prospects of finding a resolution to the ongoing conflict in the region.