Middle East gets some of the attention at Davos Forum
As expected, the situation in the Middle East is one of the main topics at this week's Davos Forum, which brings together thousands of people including heads of state and business leaders.
- "Hamas must lay down its arms and release all hostages"
- Qatar calls for addressing the situation in Gaza as "central issue"
- Normalisation talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia continue despite the war
The economic and political gathering comes at a time of heightened tension in the region in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas. The terrorist group's attack on 7 October has triggered a series of events that is threatening the security and stability of the Middle East.
Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria are some of the places that are being affected by this spiral of violence which, despite regional and international diplomatic efforts, continues unabated and threatens to spread further.
Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar are playing a key role in diplomatic efforts, working with countries such as the United States to put an end to this dangerous escalation.
In this regard, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed his concern about the state of regional security during a speech at the Davos Forum. The head of Saudi diplomacy referred in particular to the Red Sea, one of the hotspots of the current Middle East conflict.
However, Bin Farhan said that this situation is "clearly related to the war in Gaza" and it is important that the conflict in the Palestinian enclave be addressed separately.
"We need to focus on the war in Gaza, not the Red Sea," he said during a session entitled "Securing an insecure world". "We need to focus first on the Gaza war because of its impact on Palestinians, but also on regional security in general and the risks posed by further escalation," he added.
The Saudi Foreign Minister denounced the high death toll in Gaza, calling on the international community to continue to press for a ceasefire, asserting that peace between the two sides "will solve many of the challenges in the region".
"Hamas must lay down its arms and release all hostages"
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who also participated in the panel, said a ceasefire could only be achieved "if both sides agree". Hamas as well as Islamic Jihad have repeatedly rejected a truce and continue to fire rockets into Israeli territory.
Baerbock also stressed that Hamas must first and foremost lay down its arms and release all hostages. It is estimated that more than 100 people - including the elderly, women and children - are still being held by Hamas and other terrorist groups. Some of them have been killed while in captivity, as announced by Hamas in a recent macabre propaganda video.
Also, more than 100 days after they were kidnapped, the hostages have not received any visits from the Red Cross or any other international body. Nor have they received any medication, despite the fact that many of them suffer from chronic illnesses.
However, the hostages are expected to receive medicine soon thanks to an agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered by Qatar whereby the hostages will receive treatment in exchange for increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Doha is playing a key role in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The only truce reached so far, whereby most of the women and children kidnapped by Hamas were released, was brokered by Qatar and the US.
Qatar calls for addressing the situation in Gaza as "central issue"
The Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani, has also participated in the Davos Forum, where he called for redoubled diplomatic efforts to resolve regional conflicts, indicating at this point that the escalation in the Red Sea is the "most dangerous".
Like the Saudi minister, Al-Thani also stressed the need to address the situation in Gaza as a central issue. Here, Al-Thani called for working towards a two-state solution, indicating that the Palestinians should be the ones to decide whether or not Hamas plays a political role in the future.
A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Survey and Policy Research and published last December shows an increase in support for Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza, support that appears to have grown despite the brutal 7 October attack and subsequent war. Despite the devastation in Gaza, 57% of Gazan respondents and 82% in the West Bank believe Hamas did the right thing in launching the attack on Israel.
Hamas is a group that opposes the existence of the state of Israel, as many of its members, who have also called for the murder of Israelis and Jews, have stated on numerous occasions. Moreover, in the aftermath of 7 October, senior Hamas officials have threatened to repeat this attack again and again.
For these and many other reasons, countries such as the US rule out a new Hamas government in the Gaza Strip once the war ends. Washington expects the Palestinian Authority to run the enclave in the future with the help of neighbouring countries.
Normalisation talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia continue despite the war
Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined this plan during a recent trip to the region. Now, speaking in Davos, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has again referred to this goal, noting that Washington's strategy for the future of Gaza is to link normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia with the creation of a path to the establishment of a Palestinian state, reports Axios.
In the months leading up to the war, the US focused on achieving an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, one of the Biden administration's main foreign policy objectives and one that even Blinken came to see as key to national security.
Israel's regional integration has always been a key issue for both Jerusalem and Washington. The Abraham Accords, also considered the 'Accord of the Century', began to lay the foundations for a new Middle East based on peace and coexistence.
Despite the many benefits of these agreements for Israelis and Palestinians, the Islamic Republic of Iran and its like-minded militias in the region have always sought to boycott them, calling them a tradition to the Palestinian people.
Normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a milestone that would mark a turning point in the region. Because of its importance, some have pointed out that one of Hamas' objectives in launching its brutal attack on Israel on 7 October was to prevent this agreement.
However, despite what many expected, negotiations have continued, and even Riyadh has indicated that it is still willing to reach an agreement with Israel.