Safadi, Arab counterparts meet with Blinken, discuss war on Gaza

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Arab counterparts met on Tuesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN Security Council Open Debate on Situation in the Middle East, was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Libyan acting Foreign Minister Taher Al Baour, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. 

Discussion with Washington's top diplomat focused on scaling up efforts to end the war on Gaza, ensuring the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the coastal enclave, protecting civilians and upholding the principles of international humanitarian law, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

Safadi underlined the need to end the war against the besieged Gaza Strip and prevent it from spreading further and engulfing the wider region.

"The current situation in Gaza is a form of collective punishment for more than 2 million Palestinians, and unless the international community acts swiftly to end this war and alleviate the resulting humanitarian crisis, the entire region will be in a state of turmoil," Safadi said.