AMMAN: Jordan said on Friday the kingdom will host a meeting on Saturday between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian counterparts, along with participation of the Palestinians.
The ministers will stress during the talks the “Arab stance calling for an immediate cease-fire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region,” a foreign ministry statement said.
Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground assault, stirring global alarm over humanitarian conditions in the enclave, with food scarce, medical services collapsing and a civilian death toll that has surpassed 9,000.
Blinken, who arrived on Friday after earlier meeting Israeli leaders, said the US was determined that there not be a second or third front in the conflict. He also appealed to Israel to take steps to protect civilians in Gaza.
The Arab ministers will hold a meeting ahead of their discussions with Blinken as part of their diplomatic drive to lobby with major powers to put pressure on Israel to end its military campaign, officials said.
“This coordination meeting is part of their efforts to bring an end to the Israeli war on Gaza that is causing a humanitarian catastrophe,” the statement said.
Jordan says Gulf ministers, Egyptian FM, Palestinians to meet Blinken Saturday
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Jordan says Gulf ministers, Egyptian FM, Palestinians to meet Blinken Saturday
- Blinken, who arrived on Friday after earlier meeting Israeli leaders, said the US was determined that there not be a second or third front in the conflict
US, Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye urge restraint in Gaza after Miami talks
- Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire
MIAMI: The US was joined Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami.
Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.
“We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements,” said a statement posted by Witkoff on X.
Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.
Gaza’s civil defense said six people were killed Friday in Israeli shelling of a shelter. That brought to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect.
Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the truce, with the military reporting of its three soldiers killed in the territory since October.
Saturday’s statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.
It called for “the near-term establishment and operationalization” of a transitional administration which is due to happen in the second phase of the agreement, and said consultations would continue in the coming weeks over its implementation.
Under the deal’s terms, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilization force is to be deployed.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilization force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.
