US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic push to “end the conflicts” in the Middle East. Mr Blinken “emphasised the need to end the war in Gaza, free the hostages and enable the people of Gaza to rebuild their lives free from Hamas", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a readout of the meeting.
The visit is part of a Middle East tour pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza and diplomatic efforts to stop the conflict from spreading further across the region. On Tuesday he met the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, where the pair discussed plans for the “day after the war” in Gaza and a “governing framework” for the devastated territory, Mr Netanyahu's office said.
Saudi Arabia has previously said it would not normalise relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. But Mr Blinken told reporters before departing Israel that “there remains, despite everything that's happened, an incredible opportunity in this region to move in a totally different direction”.
“Saudi Arabia would be right at the heart of that, and that includes potentially normalisation of relations with Israel,” he added.
The US diplomat was due to visit Jordan and meet the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday, but Jordan's Foreign Ministry said late on Tuesday that the visit had been postponed, without giving details. The announcement came after King Abdullah II of Jordan arrived in Riyadh before Mr Blinken’s visit to the Saudi capital. The King met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, official media in the two countries reported.
The Jordanian Royal Palace said the King and the Crown Prince focused on the need to intensify efforts to bring about ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. The two countries “fully” stand with their “Palestinian and Lebanese brethren”, it added.
Mr Blinken said during his trip to Israel that it was time to end the war in Gaza and urged Israel to take advantage of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week and its dismantling of much of the militant group.
“Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. And there are really two things left to do; get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” Mr Blinken said.
His tour is his 11th trip to the region since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October last year and his first since an escalation of fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based militants Hezbollah in the past two months.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Blinken discussed efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave, as well as the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory and plans for after the conflict, the Israeli leader's office said. They also discussed an expected Israeli retaliation for a missile attack on Tel Aviv by Iran early this month.
The US, Egypt and Qatar have been leading efforts to secure a ceasefire deal for months but the talks hit a dead-end with the warring parties accusing each other of sabotaging a deal.
