US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Arab officials, including several foreign ministers and Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, at a summit in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Saturday to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, are set to meet with Blinken, according to a statement from Jordan’s foreign ministry.
On Saturday morning, Blinken met with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss weeks-long tensions between Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah and Israel on the Israeli-Lebanese border, according to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
The Jordanian foreign ministry said the summit would be focused on ending the war and addressing “the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused.”
Blinken has also met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Neither spoke during a brief photo opportunity at the beginning of their meeting.
Qatar has served as a key negotiator in discussions with Hamas amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The US has credited the Qataris for their help in securing the release of four hostages held by the group, as well as for the partial opening of the Rafah gate between Gaza and Egypt.
CNN
