Rubio meets Saudi Crown Prince for talks on Gaza and Ukraine

RIYADH - The de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Feb 17 met three senior members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were visiting the kingdom to discuss the future of both the Gaza Strip and Ukraine.

The visit of Mr Rubio, US national security adviser Mike Waltz and Mr Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy, came amid criticism that the Trump administration was acting without consulting relevant foreign partners about the wars in both countries.

Mr Rubio earlier in the day also met Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister.

Little was released about the content of the meetings except for a video of a brief exchange between the men, in which Crown Prince Mohammed said he was glad to work with the Trump administration.

Mr Rubio, who flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Israel, and his colleagues were expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza. US President Donald Trump’s idea to

depopulate and occupy the territory

has spurred widespread opposition in the Arab world, including in Saudi Arabia. That has led Mr Rubio and other US officials to encourage Arab leaders to suggest an alternative.

Following their meeting, the state department said Mr Rubio and the crown prince discussed developments in Gaza, with Mr Rubio underscoring “the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security”, according to Ms Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman.

The three US envoys were also scheduled to meet Russian officials in Riyadh on Feb 18 to discuss the future of the Russia-Ukraine war.

In addition to angering Arab allies with his contentious proposal for Gaza, Mr Trump frustrated partners in Europe when he

spoke last week unilaterally

with President Vladimir Putin of Russia about Ukraine’s future. His administration has also said that European governments will play no role in future talks, despite the conflict taking place within Europe’s borders.

The moves prompted concern in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, where leaders fear being sidelined from discussions that will dictate their countries’ futures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated in an interview that aired on Feb 16 that his country would “never” accept a peace deal struck by the US and Russia if Ukraine was not involved in the talks.

Mr Rubio’s visit comes amid swirling uncertainty about the future of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the long-term governance of the territory.

Israeli officials were expected to meet in Cairo on Feb 17 to iron out disagreements about sending humanitarian aid, including temporary housing, such as tents and trailers, to Gaza. But the Israeli government has yet to decide whether to advance negotiations to extend the truce, which will lapse in early March unless Hamas and Israel restart talks. Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to gather on Feb 17 evening to debate the issue, but it was not certain that they would vote on it.

The Israeli leadership wants to avoid prolonging the truce if it allows Hamas to survive the war as a military force. But Hamas, though indicating a willingness to share administrative control of the territory, appears unwilling to disarm its military wing.

Mr Trump has suggested ending the impasse by depopulating Gaza and sending its residents to Egypt and Jordan – a move strongly opposed by those countries as well as Saudi Arabia. The forced expulsion of Palestinians would be ethnic cleansing and a war crime, international law experts say.

The Trump administration’s proposal has

created a further obstacle

to Israel’s long-sought goal of normalising diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi leadership has said that it will not recognise Israel if Palestinians are displaced from Gaza, or if Israel refuses to create a pathway to Palestinian sovereignty.

The discussion grew more fraught after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Saudi Arabia host Palestinian refugees and create a Palestinian state on Saudi soil.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry rejected Mr Netanyahu’s statements as those of “an extremist, occupying mindset” that fails to understand the historical and cultural significance of Palestinian land. NYTIMES