WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday to hold talks with regional partners for a peace agreement in Gaza.
The State Department in a statement on Saturday said that top diplomat Antony Blinken will meet with regional partners and discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. The Gaza peace talks are scheduled to take place on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Saudi Arabia.
During his visit, Blinken will address the recent escalation in humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza and stress the importance of sustaining this increase, read the State Department statement.
He will also highlight the need to prevent the conflict from spreading further and explore ongoing initiatives to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with security assurances for Israel.
Among the participants at the two-day WEF special meeting will be Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with foreign ministers and prime ministers from various Middle Eastern and European countries. The gathering in Riyadh presents an opportunity for diplomatic engagement and dialogue on resolving the crisis in Gaza.
“We do have the key players now in Riyadh and hopefully the discussions can lead into a process towards reconciliation and peace,” WEF President Borge Brende said in a press conference on Saturday. He said that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis would be on the agenda and expressed hope that the talks would pave the way for reconciliation and peace.
The conflict in Gaza commenced on October 7 with a Hamas attack on Southern Israel. Over 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, with much of the population forced to flee their homes as result of Israeli forces military offensive commenced on October 7 in response to an attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
