Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza
Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
What happened
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Monday that Israel was committing "genocide" against Palestinians and urged the international community to halt the country's "attacks on the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples." Qatar recently pulled out of stalled U.S.-backed efforts to mediate a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, saying neither Israel nor Hamas was negotiating in good faith.
Who said what
Prince Mohammed's comments, delivered in Riyadh at a joint meeting of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, marked "some of the harshest public criticism" of Israel by a Saudi official since the Gaza war broke out, the BBC said.
Mohammed "could play a major role in any eventual peace deal between Israel and its adversaries in Gaza and Lebanon," The Washington Post said. Both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden strove to achieve "normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel," though the Saudi crown prince has said "he would not accept a normalization deal with Israel unless it agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state," something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday he would push for the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank after Trump takes office.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The Biden administration will decide this week whether Israel has made enough progress increasing Gazans' access to food and humanitarian aid, a precondition for continued military support. Eight international aid organizations said Monday that Israel had "not only failed to meet the U.S. criteria" but "took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in Northern Gaza." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was sure "that issue will be solved."
-
Properties of the week: impressive ski chaletsThe Week Recommends Featuring stunning properties in France and Austria
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A smoke-filled protest, a tearful embrace, and more
-
In Okinawa, experience the more tranquil side of JapanThe Week Recommends Find serenity on land and in the sea
-
White House halts migrant visas for 75 countriesSpeed Read Brazil, Egypt, Russia, Iran and Somalia are among the nations on the list
-
Trump, Senate GOP block Venezuela war powers voteSpeed Read Two Republicans senators flipped their vote back amid GOP pressure
-
White House ends TPS protections for SomalisSpeed Read The Trump administration has given these Somalis until March 17 to leave the US
-
Clintons defy House GOP on Epstein subpoenasSpeed Read The House has already received what ‘little information we have,’ the Clintons said
-
Prosecutors quit as DOJ pushes probe of Good widowSpeed Read At least six prosecutors have resigned in Minnesota
-
Israel’s E1 zone in the West Bank: the death of the two-state solution?The Explainer Controversial new settlement in occupied territories makes future Palestinian state unviable, critics claim
-
Judge clears wind farm construction to resumeSpeed Read The Trump administration had ordered the farm shuttered in December over national security issues
-
Kelly sues Hegseth, Pentagon over censureSpeed Read Hegseth’s censure was ‘unlawful and unconstitutional,’ Kelly said
