ROME (ITALPRESS) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Saudi Arabia today after concluding a visit to Israel. Rubio is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. On the agenda will likely be U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Palestinian residents of Gaza in other Arab nations and to lead the U.S. reconstruction of the Strip. This proposal has infuriated the Arab world and increased fears among Palestinians in Gaza that they will be driven out of the coastal territory. Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab nations, has rejected any plan to resettle Palestinians, and Riyadh is leading Arab efforts to develop a counterproposal, which could involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and an agreement to sideline Hamas. Bin Salman also insisted that Saudi Arabia would not normalize ties with Israel, a long-standing Washington goal, without an agreement on a path to a Palestinian state, a condition Israel rejects. Rubio’s visit to Saudi Arabia also precedes planned talks with Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.- photo Ipa agency -(ITALPRESS)
