With the Biden administration on its way out the door, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered on Tuesday an expansive vision of a revamped and revised Middle East, even as negotiators in Qatar were struggling to nail down an elusive ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants.

While confirming that a deal may be near, Mr. Blinken in an address to a Washington think tank focused on a longer-term vision for the region as a whole, even as incoming President-elect Donald Trump prepares to put his own stamp on U.S. policy.

Although rocked by the death and destruction resulting from the surprise Hamas rampage of October 2023, Israel since then has transformed the strategic landscape in the Middle East by dealing punishing blows to its regional adversaries, including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the theocratic regime in Iran, Mr. Blinken argued.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that the strategic gains of the last 15 months endure and lay the foundation for a better future,” Mr. Blinken told an audience at the Atlantic Council. “All too often in the Middle East, we’ve seen how the shoes of one dictator can be filled by another, or give way to conflict and chaos.”

Mr. Blinken’s remarks were interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian hecklers, a reminder of the political landmines at home the Biden administration has faced as it tries to put a cap on the latest round of Middle East instability.

In the wake of the death and destruction wreaked by Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Blinken once again pushed a U.S. plan for reconstruction in the densely populated Palestinian enclave that includes inviting the United Nations and “international partners” to work with the Palestinian Authority — Hamas’ rival — to create a new interim government while regional Arab governments provide security.

The U.S. plan has met with resistance from all the major players, with Israel balking at a complete military withdrawal from Gaza and Arab powers saying eventual statehood for the Palestinians must be part of any long-term plan.

Mr. Blinken acknowledged that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed key parts of the American blueprint, including Palestinian statehood. But he argued it was imperative to begin thinking about the postwar political and economic reconstruction as the fighting rages on.

“We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone,” Mr. Blinken said. “Without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas — or something just as abhorrent and dangerous — will grow back,” he said.

“Far from rewarding Hamas, accepting a political horizon would be the ultimate rebuke to its nihilistic agenda of death and destruction,” he added.

It is not clear how the incoming Trump administration will greet the plan — and the commitment of U.S. funds and diplomacy to make it work.

But there are signs the Trump and Biden teams are working together in the region in the short term: A top Mideast adviser to Mr. Trump participated in talks in Qatar over the weekend as negotiators tried to work through the final details of the ceasefire deal.

Mr. Blinken also pushed strongly for another diplomatic breakthrough that builds on Mr. Trump’s first term in office — a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The secretary of state argued such a deal would be a major boost to resolving the long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The prospect of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia represents the best opportunity to achieve the long-sought goal of Israel’s greater integration in the region, and it’s also the best incentive to get the parties to make tough decisions necessary to fully realize the aspirations both of Israelis and Palestinians,” he said Tuesday.

Mr. Blinken added further confirmation to reports from the region that Israeli and Hamas negotiators could be nearing a ceasefire deal that would release at least some of the estimated 100 Israeli and foreign hostages still held by the militant group.

A deal “is right on the brink,” Mr. Blinken said in answer to a question after his formal remarks. “It’s closer than it’s ever been before. We await final word from Hamas on its acceptance and until we get that word, will remain on the brink.”

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.

• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.