Arab top diplomats, Blinken discuss war on Gaza, urge ‘immediate’ delivery of relief aid into war-ravaged strip

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his counterparts from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and a senior Palestinian official met on Saturday with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the Israeli ongoing war against the Gaza Strip.

Safadi, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Palestine Liberation Organisation Executive Committee Secretary General Hussein Al Sheikh attended the meeting on Saturday with Blinken.

The discussions with the US top diplomat focused on strategies to end the “serious” escalation in Gaza, which poses a significant threat to regional security, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

During the meeting, the ministers reaffirmed the Arab unified position which calls for an “immediate” ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the statement said.

They also urged intensified efforts to trigger a “prompt and effective international action to end the conflict, protect the lives of civilians, uphold international and humanitarian law and ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza”, according to the statement.

“Israel should abide by international resolutions, in particular the one introduced by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly last week,” it said.

The resolution calls for a cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and respect for legal and humanitarian obligations.

The ministers also condemned Israel's "irresponsible" actions in Gaza, which amount to war crimes and violate human and ethical values as well as international law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, the statement said.