US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud “for Saudi Arabia’s work to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
A readout by the US State Department on Sunday said Blinken discussed the vital, ongoing work to prevent regional escalation and finalise a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
It said the secretary “underscored our shared concerns about Houthi actions, including its seizure earlier this month of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in [Yemen’s capital] Sana’a”.
AFP also reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Israel to push for a Gaza truce, said on Monday ongoing negotiations were “maybe the last” chance to reach an agreement to end the war.
“This is a decisive moment — probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The top US diplomat said President Joe Biden had sent him “to get this agreement to the line and ultimately over the line”.
“It is time for it to get done. It’s also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process,” Blinken said.
