Saudi Arabia’s defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met at the White House on Monday to discuss the war in Gaza and the prevailing security situation in Yemen.
Prince Khalid, along with a delegation, met Sullivan to discuss the evolving conflict in the Middle East as the death toll has climbed to over 8,300 in Gaza and more than 1,400 in Israel.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Al Arabiya English had earlier reported that Prince Khalid was expected to meet with top US government officials on Monday in Washington DC.
“Met with @JakeSullivan46 to discuss the Saudi-US partnership. I stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protection of civilians, allowing humanitarian aid, and resuming the peace process. We also discussed the Kingdom’s efforts in Yemen to end the crisis and achieve peace,” Prince Khalid said on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the two representatives “reviewed regional and international developments … most notably the developments in Gaza and its surroundings, along with the international efforts exerted in this regard,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Prince Khalid reportedly stressed the importance of a ceasefire and sought protection of civilians who are being displaced as Israel’s ground forces extend their attack into the Gaza Strip.
Sullivan relayed US President Joe Biden’s statement, released by the White House, on Washington’s “commitment to support the defense of US partners against threats from state and non-state actors, including those backed by Iran.”
He added that it was essential to deter any “state or non-state actor from seeking to expand the conflict,” the White House statement further said.
The Saudi minister also called for increased access to humanitarian aid and the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the SPA reported.
The two sides also reportedly discussed the developments in Yemen, and Saudi Arabia’s efforts to end the crisis and achieve sustainable peace.
Sullivan reportedly “welcomed the significant de-escalation of the conflict” over the past year-and-a-half and backed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring the conflict in Yemen to an end.
The Saudi delegation included the Kingdom’s Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar, Deputy Head of the Kingdom’s Mission to the United States Prince Musab bin Mohammed and others.
On October 24, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Biden discussed the ongoing escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas over a call. During the phone call, MBS emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action to explore ways to halt the military operations.
Saudi Arabia, along with other GCC and MENA countries, has condemned the Israeli military’s ground operations that targeted Palestinian lives.
In an October 20 meeting, leaders of the GCC nations and countries in the ASEAN group voiced “grave concerns” over the escalating violence in Gaza and condemned all attacks against civilians.
War officially broke out between Israel and Hamas after the Palestinian militant group stormed into Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 and taking more than 200 hostages, a few of whom have since been released.
Israel has been criticized for cutting off food, water, fuel and medicine to Gaza and severing communication channels for several days.
Content retrieved from: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/10/31/Saudi-defense-minister-US-NSA-discuss-Gaza-Yemen-in-White-House-meeting.
About The Author
