The Washington Post published an article alleging that during Blinken’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the crown prince kept him waiting for several hours. At the same time, the meeting itself was supposed to take place in the evening, but the prince appeared only the next morning. The humiliation did not end there. As soon as the meeting began, the Crown Prince demanded an end to the siege of Gaza, as well as any military operations.
Further reports
During the meeting, the Crown Prince reportedly told Blinken to convey its displeasure towards Israel over its military operations “that claimed the lives of innocent people” in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Mohammed bin Salman also criticised Israel for imposing a blockade on food, fuel, and other supplies, and called for the conflict to be de-escalated.
Blinken’s another meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, another US regional ally, also found no support for Washington’s views, the report says.
“I heard a lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to do moving forward,” Blinken told reporters on Sunday following his meetings with the two leaders.
Divergent views
“There’s a determination in every country I went to, to make sure that this conflict doesn’t spread. They are using their own influence, their own relationships, to try to make sure that this doesn’t happen,” he added.
The difference of opinion over the conflict was also reflected in the way both Blinken and MBS described the meeting.
While Blinken remarked on his meeting with MBS as “very productive,” the de facto ruler of Saudi released a different statement on the situation, in line with other Middle Eastern countries, which reject civilians being harmed and call for international law to be respected.
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