Saudi Arabia on Sunday called for regional stability, warning of the effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on global economic sentiment, at the start of a summit attended by a host of Gaza mediators.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Palestinian leaders, and high-ranking officials from other countries trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are on the guest list for the summit in Riyadh, the capital of the world’s largest crude oil exporter.
The Gaza conflict, which started on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties among Palestinians, with many civilians affected.
Speaking at one of the first panel discussions of the two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the Gaza war, along with conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, puts “a lot of pressure” on the economic mood.
“I think cool-headed countries and leaders and people need to prevail,” al-Jadaan said. “The region needs stability.”
Saudi Planning Minister Faisal al-Ibrahim told a press conference on Saturday, previewing the summit, that the world is “walking a tightrope right now, trying to balance security and prosperity,” adding that “one misjudgment or one miscalculation or one miscommunication will further exacerbate our challenges.”
Speaking in Riyadh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the U.S. “is the only country capable” of preventing Israel’s long-feared invasion of Rafah city in southern Gaza.
“We appeal to the United States of America to ask Israel to stop the Rafah operation,” Abbas said, warning it would harm and displace civilians, and be “the biggest disaster in the history of the Palestinian people.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said only “a credible, irreversible path to a Palestinian state” will prevent the world from confronting “this same situation two, three, four years down the line.”
WEF President Borge Brende said there was “some new momentum now in the talks around the hostages, and also for… a possible way out of the impasse we are faced with in Gaza.”
Hamas said on Saturday it was studying the latest Israeli counter-proposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a day after media reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel in a bid to jump-start stalled negotiations.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
