US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday that Arab countries are not keen to participate in the reconstruction of Gaza if the Palestinian Strip will be “leveled to the ground” again in a few years.

Speaking about the Israeli war on Gaza, which has been ongoing for more than 100 days, the US Secretary of State called on CNBC during an interview in Davos for the need to address the issue of establishing a Palestinian state.

Blinken told CNBC: “The Arab countries say, ‘You have to solve the Palestinian issue.’ They say, ‘Look, we will not interfere in matters, including, for example, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip if it will be razed to the ground again.’” Within a year or five years, then we will be asked to rebuild it again.”

Washington's vision for the "day after"

For his part, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington's vision for what has become known as the "day after" the war in Gaza "includes regional normalization and security for Israel and a state for the Palestinians."

He added in a statement: “We are working on the path of normalization with partners in the region. We will continue to work with the rest of the countries to secure the release of prisoners in Gaza and ensure that food reaches the Palestinian people.”

In 2020, three Arab countries, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, signed agreements to normalize relations with Israel, joining Egypt and Jordan, which have had peace treaties with the Hebrew state since 1979 and 1994.

The American news site Axios recently revealed that the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Israel last week exacerbated frustration within the White House and the State Department with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The website said that US President Joe Biden began to feel frustrated with Netanyahu, after the latter rejected most of the US administration’s requests regarding the war on Gaza.

According to the Axios report, Biden and his advisors feel that Israel is not doing enough to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and they are also frustrated by Netanyahu’s unwillingness to seriously discuss plans for the “next day” of the war, and his rejection of the American plan to reform the Palestinian Authority to have A role in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken, who visited several Arab countries before heading to Israel, had told Israeli officials that “the Arab countries will not save them” in rebuilding and managing Gaza if Israel does not allow the Palestinian Authority to manage the Strip.