Qatar Says Israel Is Responsible for Escalation, Oman, Bahrain Call for Restraint

Smoke rises from an area near a power plant outside Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)
Smoke rises from an area near a power plant outside Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)
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Qatar Says Israel Is Responsible for Escalation, Oman, Bahrain Call for Restraint

Smoke rises from an area near a power plant outside Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)
Smoke rises from an area near a power plant outside Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)

Qatar's foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday saying that Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people.

It said Qatar calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint and calls on the international community to prevent Israel from using these events as an excuse to launch a disproportionate war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.  

Oman called on Israel and the Palestinians to exercise maximum self-restraint, the state news agency reported quoting an official statement.

The statement asked the international community and international parties to "intervene immediately to stop the ongoing escalation and resort to the rules of international law".

Bahrain called for self-restraint in the Gaza Strip, saying that continued fighting had negative consequences on the region's peace and stability.

It stressed "the need for de-escalation among all parties to preserve the lives of people" in a statement from the foreign ministry.

"The continuation of violence will impede efforts aiming at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," it said, adding that it called upon the international community to help end the armed conflict and to protect civilians. 



Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received in Riyadh on Monday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the eve of talks on Ukraine.

Rubio had arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday to prepare for the talks and plan the anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump and Putin have agreed to kick of peace talks about Ukraine that will be attended by Crown Prince Mohammed.

Saudi and American officials will discuss bilateral relations and regional cooperation, as well as efforts to push forward peace and stability in the region.

The State Department had said Rubio’s visit to the region will “promote US interests in advancing regional cooperation, stability, and peace.”

“The trip will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies,” it said in a statement.