AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan said on Friday the kingdom will host a meeting on Saturday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian counterparts, along with participation of the Palestinians.
The ministers will stress during the talks the “Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region”, a foreign ministry statement said.
Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground assault, stirring global alarm over humanitarian conditions in the enclave, with food scarce, medical services collapsing and a civilian death toll that has surpassed 9,000.
Blinken, who arrived on Friday after earlier meeting Israeli leaders, said the U.S. was determined that there not be a second or third front in the conflict. He also appealed to Israel to take steps to protect civilians in Gaza.
The Arab ministers will hold a meeting ahead of their discussions with Blinken as part of their diplomatic drive to lobby with major powers to put pressure on Israel to end its military campaign, officials said.
“This coordination meeting is part of their efforts to bring an end to the Israeli war on Gaza that is causing a humanitarian catastrophe,” the statement said.
(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
