US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the winter camp in AlUla on Monday, January 8, to discuss ending the Israeli war in Gaza Strip.
Upon his arrival in AlUla, Blinken was received by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, before heading to meet the Crown Prince.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed bilateral relations between the Kingdom and the US, identifying areas of cooperation and ways to improve them for mutual benefit, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
They also discussed regional and international developments, emphasizing the need for security and stability.
The Crown Prince emphasized the need to halt military operations in Gaza, enhance humanitarian aid, and establish conditions for the restoration of stability.
He called for a return to the peace negotiations to secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and ensure long-term peace.
Blinken’s visit comes as part of his Middle Eastern tour, where he visits the Kingdom and the UAE before heading to Israel.
His previous stops led him, respectively, to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, and Qatar.
At all stops, Blinken consistently warned of the danger of the war between Hamas-Israel escalating into a regional conflict.
This is Blinken’s fifth tour in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
His tour emphasizes preventing the war from escalating into a regional conflict, releasing hostages, and defending the American stance against the displacement of Gaza Strip residents.
The ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip resulted in more than 23,000 martyrs and nearly 59,000 wounded in the last 95 days.