Saudi Crown Prince stresses importance of stopping Israel’s war on Gaza in talks with Blinken

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the importance of stopping Israel’s war on Gaza in talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.

Bin Salman received Blinken at his winter retreat in the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

He spoke with the top US diplomat on the importance of intensifying humanitarian efforts for Palestinians in Gaza and working to create conditions for security and stability.

He also stressed the importance of "a peace process that ensures that the Palestinian people gain their legitimate rights and achieve a just and lasting peace."

Blinken is on an official visit to the region until Jan. 11 that includes Türkiye, Greece, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt, according to the US State Department.

His tour comes at a time when the Israeli army has waged a devastating war on Gaza since Oct. 7 that has resulted in the killing of at least 23,084 Palestinians and the wounding of 58,926 others.

Since the beginning of the war, Washington has provided Tel Aviv with the strongest possible military, intelligence and diplomatic support to the point that critics have accused the US of being an accomplice in Israeli "war crimes” in Gaza.

Israeli authorities claim that attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas have killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar