Saudi Arabia hosts Arab foreign ministers in Riyadh following Blinken's tour

Arab foreign ministers emphasized the need to take "irreversible" steps towards establishing a Palestinian state during a meeting held on Thursday night in Saudi Arabia following a tour by their American counterpart, Antony Blinken, in the aftermath of the Gaza war. 

Hosted by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh, the meeting included Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Egyptian Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Ayman Safadi, and Emirati Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, along with the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al Sheikh 

According to diplomatic sources familiar with the preparations for the meeting, its aim was to formulate a unified Arab stance on the war, now entering its fifth month, between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). 

The attendees stressed the "necessity of ending the war in the Gaza Strip and achieving an immediate and complete ceasefire, ensuring the protection of civilians according to international humanitarian law, and lifting all restrictions hindering the entry of humanitarian aid into the sector," according to the official Saudi news agency. 

They emphasized the "importance of taking irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution, recognizing the state of Palestine along the lines of June 4, 1967, with its capital in East Jerusalem."  

They confirmed that the Gaza Strip is an "integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory," expressing their unequivocal rejection of all forced displacement operations. 

Moreover, they expressed their "support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and urged all its supporters to play their supportive role in humanitarian missions towards Palestinian refugees." 

AFP