By Ibrahim Al-Khazen
RIYADH (AA) – The top diplomats of Saudi Arabia and the US discussed on Tuesday a Gaza cease-fire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which they explored the latest developments in Gaza, and Biden’s proposal for a cease-fire and hostage swap between Hamas and Israel, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
On Friday, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave.
There was no official response yet from Israel or Hamas on the proposal, but the Palestinian group said that it would “respond positively to any proposal that includes a permanent cease-fire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, the return of the displaced, and the completion of a comprehensive hostage exchange deal.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said Monday that he was "not ready to stop" the war in Gaza, claiming that Biden's remarks about a cease-fire proposal were “inaccurate.”
His coalition partners, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to topple the government if Netanyahu agrees to Biden’s cease-fire plan.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, have so far failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 36,500 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and nearly 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio