Against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and during the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Riyadh, "to discuss Hamas ' attacks against Israel" and to discuss ways to prevent the expansion of the conflict, Saudi Arabia announced the suspension of normalization talks with Israel .

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 Edited  by |ANNA sam

 

Politic section -  CJ journalist

 

Riyadh - October,14,2023 

 

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Today, Saturday, October 14, Agence France-Presse quoted a source close to the Saudi government, that Riyadh decided to suspend normalization talks with Israel .

The official familiar with the negotiations said that "Saudi Arabia has decided to suspend talks on possible normalization (with Israel) and has communicated this to US officials" who are sponsoring the talks.

The announcement came as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia, as part of a visit to the region to discuss the developments of the war in the Gaza Strip, during which he visited Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan.

"As my journey through the Middle East continues, I will meet with Saudi partners to discuss Hamas attacks against Israel and the need to work together to prevent the conflict from spreading," Blinken said in a post on the X platform.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced on Friday in a statement its categorical rejection of calls for the "forced displacement" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, referring to the Israeli army's call for more than a million Palestinians to evacuate the northern areas of the Strip. The kingdom condemned the continued targeting of" unarmed civilians " in the Strip.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms its categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and its condemnation of the continued targeting of unarmed civilians there,"the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The international community should act quickly to stop all forms of military escalation against civilians, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, and provide the necessary relief and medical needs to the people of Gaza, especially since depriving them of these basic requirements for a decent living is a violation of international humanitarian law ...".

The Ministry concluded its statement by calling for "lifting the siege on our brothers in Gaza, evacuating the injured civilians, adhering to international laws and norms and international humanitarian law, and advancing the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council, the United Nations and the Arab Peace Initiative, aimed at finding a just and comprehensive solution, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital".