Saudi Arabia to host summits of Arab, Islamic nations on Israel-Hamas war

A wounded Palestinian man carries children following a strike in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on November 6, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
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SINGAPORE: Saudi Arabia will host summits of Arab and Islamic nations to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, the Kingdom’s investment minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, Khalid Al-Falih said: “We will see, this week, in the next few days Saudi Arabia convening an emergency Arab summit in Riyadh. In a few days you will see Saudi Arabia convening an Islamic summit,” he added.

The minister’s comments referred to an earlier announcement by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to hold a meeting on Sunday on the Gaza conflict.

On Tuesday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that said a third meeting which had been set for the weekend, bringing Arab League and African Union leaders together, would be postponed to focus on the other two summits.

“In the short term, the objective of bringing these three summits and other gatherings under the leadership of Saudi Arabia would be to drive toward peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Al-Falih said.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Saudi Arabia for the OIC summit, Etemadonline news reported.

Al-Falih noted that Saudi Arabia would convene a summit with African nations, but he did not specify a date.