Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives US President Joe Biden at the Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. Bandar Al-Jaloud / Courtesy of the Saudi Royal Court / Handout via Reuters / Archive photo Obtaining licensing rights
WASHINGTON, October 24 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed on Tuesday efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the White House said.
The White House said the two leaders agreed in a call to continue broader diplomatic efforts to “maintain stability throughout the region and prevent the conflict from expanding,” adding that the two leaders would remain in close coordination.
Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince welcomed the delivery of humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza, acknowledging that “much more is needed for civilians” to have sustainable access to food, water and medical aid, according to the White House.
The White House added that they welcomed ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and called for their immediate release.
The White House said that Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince stressed the importance of working to achieve “sustainable peace” between Israelis and Palestinians once the crisis subsides, adding that they “will build on the work already underway between Saudi Arabia and Israel.” United States in recent months.
Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they believe the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that left more than 1,400 dead was partly Motivation to disrupt Possible normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, home to the Two Holy Mosques, gave its blessing to its Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish relations with Israel in 2020 under the US administration of Donald Trump.
Riyadh did not follow suit, saying that the goals of a Palestinian state should be addressed first.
Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia Worry about a broader conflict It will affect their national security and they will push for a ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of the siege on the Strip.
Although it called for a “humanitarian truce” to deliver aid, the United States has not yet supported a ceasefire, with White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying that a ceasefire at this stage would benefit Hamas.
Gaza officials say that since October 7, intensified Israeli air strikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have killed more than 5,700 Palestinians, including more than 2,300 children.
Gaza, a 45-kilometre-long strip with a population of 2.3 million people, has been under political rule by Hamas since 2007 but faces a blockade from Israel.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakeel) Editing by Chris Reese, Shizuo Nomiyama and Cynthia Osterman
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