Antony Blinken will also "stress the importance of avoiding a regional expansion" of the war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli territory by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, according to a statement released by the US State Department. The Secretary of State intends to "discuss ways to achieve a lasting peace in the region, including through a path to an independent Palestinian state alongside guarantees of security for Israel". The US Secretary of State (equivalent to Foreign Minister) will also participate in a meeting of ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, an organization that brings together six countries of the Arabian Peninsula, including Qatar, which plays a mediating role between Israel and Hamas. Blinken will also be at the World Economic Forum (WEF), which takes place in Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, an event dedicated to adapting to climate change and the energy transition. WEF President Borge Brende said today that Blinken would go to Saudi Arabia "immediately after his visits to China and before going to Israel". The World Economic Forum is also expected to receive the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the Prime Ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. This will be Blinken's fifth visit to Saudi Arabia since October 7, but the first since the reciprocal attacks between Israel and Iran this month. Prior to the war in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi kingdom and Israel were assessing the possibility of normalizing relations. The US hopes to be able to revive this perspective to encourage Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act with restraint to avoid a regional expansion of the conflict. Read Also: Hamas releases new video showing two Israeli hostages. Watch (Portuguese version)