From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Saudi Arabia calls for halting escalation and preventing spread to region
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleGianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, in a phone conversation with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, emphasizes that the Gulf kingdom is “making every possible effort to engage with all international and regional parties to halt the ongoing escalation and prevent its further spread in the region,” stressing the importance of sparing the lives of civilians.
The crown prince also reiterates the kingdom’s unrelenting support for the Palestinian people “in their pursuit of their legitimate rights,” without mentioning the creation of a Palestinian state.
The de facto Saudi ruler also holds discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. The three leaders agree on the need to “intensify international and regional efforts to stop the escalation in Gaza and its surroundings and prevent its expansion in the region.”
Saudi Arabia further calls for an urgent ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the escalation in Gaza.
In parallel, Arab League foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Cairo tomorrow to discuss the “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip” in a bid to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level,” AFP reports.
The Times of Israel Community.