Abbas and world leaders will meet this week in Riyadh to discuss Gaza

The president of the World Economic Forum announced on Saturday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a number of foreign dignitaries will be in Riyadh this week for discussions intended to press for a peace deal in Gaza to be conducted on the fringes of a meeting of the WEF.

Børge Brende stated at a press conference in Riyadh, “We do have the key players now in Riyadh and hopefully the discussions can lead into a process towards reconciliation and peace,” adding that the humanitarian issue in Gaza would be on the table.

According to Brende, regional leaders such as the prime minister of Qatar, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, the crown prince of Oman, and representatives from Bahrain would be present at the discussions, along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

According to Brende, Egypt’s foreign minister, he would be present to provide officials with an update on the results of a round of discussions Egyptian negotiators held in Israel on Friday, with the aim of resuming the stalled attempts to end the Gaza War and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

“There is now a bit of momentum for negotiations on the hostages and also a possible ceasefire,” Brende stated.