Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Saudi Arabian government mentioned the controversial plan of US President Donald Trump on the future of the Gaza Strip, which provides for an evacuation of the Palestinian area and a resettlement of the 2.4 million people living there.
In an explanation of the Saudi -Dearabian side, it was only said that Rubio and Bin Salman had discussed “regional and international developments” and “efforts to ensure security and stability in the region”.
The US State Department said that Rubio and Bin Salman had discussed “opportunities to promote common interests in Syria, Lebanon and throughout the region, including security on the Red Sea and the freedom of shipping”. Rubio and Bin Salman had emphasized “the strength of relationships between the USA and Saudi Arabia”.
The National Security Advisor of the USA, Mike Waltz, and the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also took part in the meeting between Rubio and the de facto ruler Saudi Arabia.
In his first term between 2017 and 2021, US President Trump had already made efforts to achieve normalization of relationships between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Due to the Gaza War, triggered by the major Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, these efforts temporarily stalled.
se/kas
