US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he held a “very productive” meeting with the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh, a critical diplomatic engagement as Israel prepared to launch a ground assault in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and Washington worked to contain the conflict.
“Very productive,” Blinken replied to a question from a Reuters reporter as he returned to the hotel where the US delegation was staying.
In the meeting, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to find ways to stop the conflict, and respect international law, including by lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
“(The crown prince stressed the need to find) a peace path to ensure that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and achieve just and lasting peace,” SPA said.
The top US diplomat’s meeting on Sunday with the Kingdom’s de-facto ruler comes as the region is on the brink of a further escalation with Gaza, a small coastal enclave home to 2.3 million Palestinians, bracing for Israel’s ground offensive.
Blinken has embarked on his most extensive trip to date to the Middle East, working with Arab allies to prevent the war from spiralling into a wider conflict and help secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas in retaliation for a rampage by its fighters in Israeli towns eight days ago in which they shot men, women and children and seized hostages in the worst attack on civilians in the country’s history.
Late on Saturday, Iran warned of “far-reaching consequences” if Israel’s bombardment was not stopped. A US official said the meeting lasted for just under an hour and took place at the Crown Prince’s private farm residence.—Reuters
