Saudi FM: Stop The Killings in Gaza

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called for an immediate halt to killings in Gaza and rebuilding the enclave, saying “dying in Gaza has not stopped” despite a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Speaking Friday during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, the minister said the ceasefire had failed to end fatalities in Gaza, stressing the need to stop the violence and begin rebuilding the devastated territory.

Prince Faisal also emphasized the need to preserve the unity of Gaza and the West Bank, saying stability in Gaza is essential to that goal. He underscored the importance of addressing Palestinian rights, including the right to self-determination.

His remarks come amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, after Israel’s government approved measures on Sunday aimed at changing the legal and civil reality there, including expanding enforcement powers into areas designated as A and B.

An Oct. 10 ceasefire agreement ended Israel’s two-year war that began on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinian authorities say the conflict killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded over 171,000 others and caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure. The UN estimates reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.

At least 591 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,578 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Munich is hosting the 62nd Munich Security Conference from Friday through Sunday under tight security, as diplomats describe the current period as the most turbulent since the end of the Cold War, marked by escalating conflicts and growing uncertainty over the future of the global order. Anadolu

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Saudi Will Not Normalize With Israel Unless…

Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established and the war in Gaza ends, the kingdom’s foreign minister said Monday, signaling Riyadh’s clearest stance yet linking recognition to progress on a two-state solution.

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the remarks at a press briefing with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in New York, following a high-level international conference on implementing the two-state solution, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France.

“For the kingdom, recognition is very much tied to the establishment of the Palestinian state,” Prince Faisal said when asked whether Saudi Arabia could relaunch the Abraham Accords recognition for Palestine as a prerequisite for normalizing relations with Israel.

“We certainly hope that the clear consensus shown today – which will be shown tomorrow as well – and the clear momentum towards establishing that Palestinian state can open the conversation about normalization,” he added.

Faisal emphasized that normalization with Israel cannot be discussed while Israel’s genocide continues in Gaza according to Anadolu.

Talks “can only open first if the conflict in Gaza ends and if the suffering of the people of Gaza is alleviated,” he said. “Because there’s no reason, even, or no credibility, to have a conversation about normalization with constant death and suffering and destruction in Gaza.”

“And then we have to talk about the establishment of the Palestinian state. And once that is achieved, then obviously we can talk about normalization,” he added.

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Saudi FM: KSA Rejects Displacement, Calls For Ceasefire Guarantees

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reaffirmed on Tuesday his country’s rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their land, calling for international guarantees to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We reject any infringement on the rights of the Palestinian people, whether through settlement expansion, annexation of land, or attempts to displace Palestinians,” Bin Farhan said at an emergency Arab summit in Egypt on the Gaza reconstruction.

He added: “We stress the necessity of having international guarantees to ensure the continuation of the truce in Gaza and prevent a return to fighting,” according to Anadolu.

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