Incoming secretary of state Anthony Blinken experienced his right of passage last Wednesday, when he was grilled by senators, both Democrats and Republicans, about how he intended to approach the job of America's top diplomat. After years of political rancor and acrimony in Washington, one might have expected Blinken to hammer former U.S. president Donald Trump's foreign policy at every turn. But he didn't. In fact, on many issues, Blinken appeared to signal more continuity than change.

When asked whether he thought it was a bad idea for the Trump administration to cajole America's NATO allies to spend more on defense, Blinken replied: "I do not."

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The Trump administration designated the Iranian-backed Houthi organization, or Ansar Allah, as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on January 11. While the SDGT designation goes into effect immediately, Congress by law was provided seven days to review the FTO designation before it goes into effect. While the designation was rumored to come for several months, it was nevertheless controversial.

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The Israeli Missile Defense Organization and U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced earlier this month the successful completion of a series of tests of a multilayered missile defense system using the David's Sling, Iron Dome and Arrow systems.

Under the auspices of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the tests simulated a variety of advanced threats, including low-altitude cruise missiles, long-range ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and more. The tests integrated multiple interception systems, using a single command and control node to build a picture of the threats in real time, while deploying each individual interception system to operate independently.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu visited Saudi Arabia last week to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). The summit was historic, and could yield a long-sought normalization deal between the only Jewish state and the cradle of Islam.

But the meeting reportedly did not focus on bilateral ties. Rather, it was an effort by the two leaders to coordinate in advance of a possible Biden administration effort to resurrect the controversial 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Outgoing President Donald Trump exited the deal in 2018.

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The Trump administration may be on its way out, but it can still ­advance American interests between now and January. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where White House policies have arguably been the most effective. With minimal effort, Trump can address the undying fiction of Palestinian "refugees."

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