(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia is pushing for key Arab states to take a common position on how to end Israel’s war on Hamas as fears grow over its attacks on the refugee haven of Rafah — while increasing calls for an independent Palestinian state.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority traveled to Riyadh on Thursday to meet with Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan. Included on the agenda was a call for an “immediate and full cease-fire” in Gaza, according to a Saudi communique issued at the start of the gathering, and the removal of all obstacles to the entry of aid into the war-torn enclave.
On top of that, the kingdom made clear that “irrevocable steps had to be taken to implement a two-state solution and recognize the state of Palestine.” This demand — popular throughout the Arab world — has repeatedly been dismissed out of hand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Hamas invaded the country from Gaza on Oct. 7, triggering the ongoing conflict. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
“This meeting is about consolidating the core group of Arab states that are working with the Americans on the Gaza crisis and Palestinian issue,” said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the royal court.
Balancing Act
The meeting was held as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, strives to balance opposition to Israel’s military campaign with a desire to build closer ties with the US, particularly over defense. Washington is pushing the kingdom to agree to diplomatic ties with Israel as part of those negotiations, though Prince Mohammed has made clear, especially after Oct. 7, a path toward a Palestinian state is a pre-condition to any deal.
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The diplomatic exchanges are becoming increasingly urgent as Israel starts to bomb the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which lies near the territory’s border with Egypt. More than one million people have sought refuge there since the start of the war, having fled to escape Israel’s initial attacks on Gaza City in the north.
The United Nations has warned that a “humanitarian nightmare” risks getting worse if attacks on Rafah intensify.
US President Joe Biden criticized the extent of Israel’s military campaign on Thursday, calling it “over the top” and emphasizing there are “a lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying.” Israel’s attempt to destroy Hamas has killed more than 27,000 people in Gaza so far, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory, while disease and starvation in the enclave are rife.
The Riyadh meeting of Arab foreign ministers came immediately after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his fifth tour of the region since Oct 7. He told reporters in Tel Aviv Wednesday that while he is “intensely focused” on international negotiations aimed at releasing Israeli hostages held by Hamas and implementing a “humanitarian pause,” he also discussed with Arab and Israeli officials “the substance and sequence of steps” needed to create “a concrete, time-bound, irreversible path to a Palestinian state.”
Post-War Plans
A senior Arab diplomat said the Riyadh meeting was an attempt to advance a unified position in the face of post-war plans for Gaza floated by Israeli and US officials.
The diplomat, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters, said the objective of the meeting was to build Arab consensus around the idea that a permanent cease-fire and relief for Palestinian civilians must be followed by an agreement on the framework for Palestinian statehood.
He said that would be a precondition for Arab involvement in any future security arrangements and rebuilding plans for Gaza.
A person close to the Saudi leadership said that while Washington and Riyadh had made significant progress in talks over a binding defense treaty, many differences remained over the issue of Palestinian statehood.
The Saudi foreign ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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Iran and militant groups backed by Tehran, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have said any normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be tantamount to treason to Arabs and Muslims.
And even the countries invited to Riyadh have varied agendas. The UAE, which is already at peace with Israel, has its own calculations to make and so does Qatar, which hosts several Hamas leaders.
Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Washington-based CSIS think tank, sees some progress happening this year on Saudi-Israel ties and Palestinian statehood but no landmark deal.
“Middle East peace breakthroughs have often come after leaders got frustrated with slow multilateral negotiations,” he said. “We don’t even have a multilateral negotiation yet, let alone one that everyone thinks is too slow and messy.”
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