WAR in the Gaza Strip, Palestine and wider tensions in the Middle East are expected to be the main focus at a special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia on Sunday (28/4). United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Palestinian leaders and top officials from other countries brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are on the guest list for the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“The world is currently in a difficult situation, trying to balance security and prosperity,” Saudi Planning Minister Faisal al-Ibrahim said at a press conference on Saturday (27/4) while reviewing the event. “We meet at a time when one error in judgment, one error in calculation, or one error in communication will further exacerbate our challenges,” he said.
The Gaza war began with an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Israel estimates 129 hostages captured by militants on October 7 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 people the military says are dead.
Israel vowed to crush Hamas with retaliatory attacks that killed at least 34,388 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
WEF President Borge Brende said that there was new momentum in talks around the hostages and a possible way out of the deadlock faced in Gaza. However, there will be no Israeli participation at the summit and Brende noted that formal mediation involving Qatar and Egypt is underway elsewhere.
“This is more of an opportunity to have structured discussions with key players,” he said at a press conference, Saturday (27/4). “Of course there will be discussions regarding the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as regarding Iran, which supports Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah group,” he added.
The meeting had all the prospects of being a very important meeting.
Also read: Saudi Arabia urges Israel to stop bombing Gaza and give Palestine its rights
Meanwhile, the United States (US) Department of State said that Blinken would discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that guarantees the release of hostages. Hopes that mediators could reach a new ceasefire in Gaza before or during the holy month of Ramadan ultimately came to naught.
Hamas said on Saturday it was studying Israel’s latest counter proposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a day after media reports said a delegation of Egyptian mediators arrived in Israel in an attempt to restart stalled talks. Since its inception, Saudi has worked closely with other regional and global powers to try to contain the war in Gaza and avoid a conflict that could derail the ambitious economic reform agenda known as Vision 2030.
The Saudi kingdom is also still in talks on a landmark deal recognizing Israel for the first time while strengthening its security partnership with the United States. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, spoke optimistically about the deal in an interview with Fox News in September, but analysts said the war has complicated the deal.
Also read: Hamas warns that Israel’s raid on Rafah resulted in tens of thousands of deaths
On the other hand, Saudi is trying to open up to the world, luring business leaders and nonreligious tourists. Hosting international events such as the two-day WEF meeting allows the kingdom to showcase social changes including the reintroduction of cinemas and the lifting of a ban on women driving.
“Eight years into Vision 2030, we have demonstrated our willingness to lead a transformative growth model that is innovative, inclusive and sustainable. And we are already seeing some of the results,” said Ibrahim.
However, questions remain about how much Vision 2030 will be achieved and when, with particular attention drawn to flagship projects such as NEOM, a planned futuristic megacity. In December, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said officials had decided to delay the timelines of several major projects past 2030, without specifying which projects.
“Certain projects can be expanded for three years (2033), some will be expanded until 2035. Some will be expanded even more than that and some will be rationalized,” he concluded. (AFP/Z-2)
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