Any Gaza deal must boost regional security: Rubio

The Israel-Hamas war dominated discussions between the US Secretary of State and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Picture: AFP.

Marco Rubio has told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that any deal on the future of Gaza must boost regional security.

The US Secretary of State, who arrived from Israel accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, met the de facto ruler ahead of talks expected on Tuesday with a Russian delegation over the future of Ukraine.

But the 500-day-old Israel-Hamas war dominated discussions, according to a State Department statement.

Mr Rubio and the Crown Prince “reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring that Hamas releases all hostages, including American citizens”, the statement said.

“The secretary underscored the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security,” it added.

The two “discussed ways to advance shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, to include Red Sea security and freedom of navigation”, said the statement, which made no reference to President Donald Trump’s widely criticised plan for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and move away the Palestinian population.

A Saudi statement said only that Mr Rubio and the Crown Prince “discussed regional and international developments” and “efforts to assure security and stability in the region”.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations have strongly opposed the US plan for Gaza, and State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce made no mention of the proposal in the statement.

Mr Rubio also met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan but neither commented to reporters afterwards.

The State Department, however, said that in the talks with the Crown Prince, Mr Rubio highlighted “the strength of the US-Saudi relationship” and “looked forward to increased economic and defence cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia”.

Mr Trump, in his first term as president, launched efforts to establish diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but the Gaza war has hardened Arab attitudes towards normalisation.

In Jerusalem, the US Secretary of State gave strong support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his uncompromising military campaign in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Mr Witkoff played a key role in securing the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas which took effect on January 19 and led to an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

AFP