Saudi foreign minister arrives in Spain for expanded ministerial committee meetings on Gaza
Meeting to discuss situation in Gaza, West Bank, efforts to end conflict, ease crisis in region, says statement
ISTANBUL
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan arrived Saturday in Spain for meetings about the Gaza Strip.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said bin Farhan arrived in Madrid for the “expanded meeting of the ministerial committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit regarding developments in the Gaza Strip, the Madrid Group, and several European countries.”
It is set to discuss “developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, along with international efforts to end the conflict and ease the humanitarian crisis in the region,” it said.
The ministry added that the meeting will also address “preparations for the upcoming high-level international conference on the two-state solution, scheduled to take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York City this June, co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.”
Also participating in the meeting are members of the joint contact group between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League on Gaza, along with European countries that have recognized the state of Palestine -- Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia.
The joint ministerial contact group on the Palestinian issue was established by a decision of the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, on Nov. 11, 2023.
The group includes the foreign ministers of eight countries: Türkiye, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria, in addition to the secretaries-general of the OIC and the Arab League.
The group aims to promote international recognition of Palestine, revive the peace process, and ultimately achieve a two-state solution.
It also spearheaded the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution adopted during the 2024 UN General Assembly, aimed at implementing the two-state solution.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,900 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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