From the Liveblog of
Friday, February 9, 2024
In Riyadh, Middle Eastern diplomats discuss need to end war in Gaza, implement two-state solution
Four top Middle Eastern diplomats reiterated calls for “irreversible” steps towards the recognition of a Palestinian state during talks on the war between Isael and Hamas in Gaza hosted by Saudi Arabia, state media reports.
The meeting — held yesterday as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded his fifth crisis tour of the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war — was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, as well as a senior Palestinian official.
Two diplomats briefed on preparations for the meeting tell AFP it was intended to promote a unified Arab position on the war, now in its fifth month.
“In their meeting, the ministers emphasized the need to end the war on the Gaza Strip, reach an immediate and complete ceasefire, ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and lift all restrictions that impede the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports.
They also voiced support for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees agency fired 12 staff members for their alleged involvement in Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught in southern Israel, which triggered the war.
Multiple countries have suspended their funding of the agency pending the end of an investigation.
“They also stressed the importance of taking irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution and recognize the state of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” SPA says.
