RIYADH: Only a real commitment to a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can prevent the war in Gaza from reoccurring, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Sunday.

“We in the region are not going to focus only on solving the crisis of the moment, we’re going to look at how we can solve the bigger problem in the context of Gaza. That is, a real commitment to a two-state solution, that is, a credible, irreversible path to a Palestinian state,” he told the World Economic Forum’s special meeting in Riyadh.

“That’s the only reasonable and credible solution that guarantees us from not having to come back to this same situation two, three, four years down the line.”

He added that it was up to the international community, especially those countries that have the most influence, and the UN Security Council to help implement the solution.

“It’s good that we hear most of our partners and the international community support that notion. Now we have to translate that into reality.

“We need to move from talk, to action, to concrete steps. And it can’t be left up to the warring parties. We, the international community, and especially those countries that have the most influence, the most impact, the Security Council have to step in,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry echoed Prince Faisal’s call and said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not be resolved until a two-state solution came into effect.

“I’ve always advocated the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because that’s the underlying problem. Until you resolve that … you will probably have a short-term pause, but it will recur with even greater vengeance. So we don’t want that, we want a solution to this once and for all,” he said.

Prince Faisal said the Kingdom would do everything it could to push in the direction of a two-state solution and that he was hopeful the international community would do the right thing and make the concept a reality.

“If we all agree that the Palestinian state and giving the Palestinians their right, is the solution that gives everybody what they need: security, stability, their rights, then we should all decide we’re going to invest all of our resources in making that happen.

“If we make that decision, the pathway will unfold before us, even if there are those that will try to stop it. There are levers clear, there are levers hidden, that can push us in that direction. So I want to be hopeful … and I know that we as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will do everything we can to push in that direction.

“And hopefully, the international community, given everything that has happened and given the risks involved in not doing the right thing, will come along, and we’re working with our partners, the Europeans among them and many others, to try and translate that intent into reality,” Prince Faisal said.

LONDON: Developing human capital is a key challenge for Saudi Arabia’s travel sector, the country’s tourism minister has said on Sunday.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb, speaking during a two-day meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, discussed the Kingdom’s burgeoning tourism industry, which has boomed over the past half-decade.

To address the human capital challenge, the Saudi leadership has encouraged young people across the Kingdom “to join the sector,” he said.

“We are spending a lot to train (young Saudi talents) and scale them, and involve them in the sector,” he told the “Vacationomics” panel discussion, adding that hiring local experts is essential for delivering better tourism experiences.

“You get the best experience and you know more about other people’s culture and other nations’ cultures when you deal and interact with locals,” he said. “We want to make sure that our guests are served by local people.”

Saudi Arabia has delivered “strong growth in Q1 this year, and we are moving to deliver our 2030 numbers,” the minister said.

The Kingdom’s tourism sector “has come a long way” since the launch of the National Tourism Strategy as part of efforts to diversify the economy, Al-Khateeb said, adding that the industry is “heading to achieve $80 billion this year” in private investment.

Last year, Saudi Arabia attracted about $66 billion in private investment into tourism.

“We doubled the number of visitors coming from outside — 100 million in total … 77 million domestic (and) 27 million international,” he said. “This is double the number that we achieved before we launched our National Tourism Strategy.

“We have the funding. We have a great country. We have everything that the international tourists would like to see and experience.”

Jerry Inzerillo, chief of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, told the panel: “What the Gulf and its leadership will do in the next 10 years is going to be breathtaking to allow people to come from all over the world.”

With “so much to do in the region,” Inzerillo said he believed the “warmth and hospitality” of the Saudi people is serving as a strong selling point for tourism in the Kingdom.

Though the traditional Gulf tourism market in Saudi Arabia is well developed, European tourism is “now activating” through new business with the Kingdom, he added.

“And as we sign more and more airline deals and… (the) Ministry of Tourism has done a brilliant job in getting bilaterals, you’ll see those numbers grow very exponentially.”

Other panelists included Abdulla Bin Touq Al-Marri, UAE minister of economy; Thiago Alonso de Oliveira, CEO of JHSF Participacoes; and Aireen Omar, president and CEO of RedBeat Capital.