WASHINGTON – There must be an immediate end to the fighting in besieged Gaza but governments worldwide do not seem to see it as a priority, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said in Washington, adding that there must also be a credible roadmap to establish a Palestinian state.
At a joint press conference before meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, a group of foreign ministers refused to discuss in detail the future of Gaza, saying the focus should remain on stopping the war immediately on the Palestinian enclave.
“Our message is consistent and clear that we believe that it is absolutely necessary to end the fighting immediately,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said.
“One of the disturbing facts of this conflict is that ending the conflict and the fighting doesn’t seem to be the main priority,” for the world, he said.
Humanitarian aid to civilians in besieged Gaza needed to be significantly increased, he said, adding that it is “unacceptable” that aid “is being restricted and has been restricted” because of “bureaucratic obstacles.”
The Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee comprises ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Türkiye.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Blinken to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. Fidan is also expected to meet with the representatives of think tanks, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said.
Fidan and the members of the Muslim group — formed to follow up the decisions taken at the extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – Arab League on November 11 — are in the capital Washington, DC to hold meetings as part of a joint diplomatic effort focused on Gaza.
The contact group will hold meetings in Canada on Saturday and two separate meetings are planned with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
Over the past three weeks, the group has held meetings in Beijing, Moscow, London, Paris, Barcelona and New York, respectively. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also took part in the meetings.
The United States — a veto-wielding power on the UN Security Council — has said it does not currently support further action by the 15-member body on the conflict. It vetoed a resolution calling for truce in Gaza.
US doesn’t support ceasefire
Ahead of US veto, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the press conference that if the resolution fails, it would be giving a license to Israel “to continue with its massacre.”
“Our priority for now is to stop the war, stop the killing, stop the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure,” he said.
“The message that’s being sent is that Israel is acting above international law … and the world is simply not doing much. We disagree with the United States on its position vis-Ã -vis the ceasefire,” he said.
In an interview with Reuters news agency, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and said an international peace conference should be called to work out a lasting political solution leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
At least 17,487 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,480 others wounded in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave by Israel.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas blitz stood at 1,200, according to official figures, which was revised down from 1,400.
C-TRT World
