Global leaders gathered in the Swiss resort town of Davos on Monday for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
The participants include over 60 heads of state and government. The theme of this year’s meeting is ‘Rebuilding Trust.’
The event is taking place at a time when the world is witnessing Israel’s devastating genocidal war on Gaza.
A number of leaders expressed concern about the ongoing genocide in the Strip and expressed their views about possible solutions.
Others continued to advocate for Israel’s so-called right to defend itself, despite the fact that nearly 100,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children have been killed in the Israeli war.
These are some of the comments related to the war on Gaza and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Norway: Unity Government
For some reason, Oslo has taken it upon itself to compose a government for the Palestinians.
“A number of countries are working with us… trying to build a broad unity government (in Palestine),” Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, said.
Eide did not name those countries, but emphasized that a unified Palestinian territory should be governed by the West-supported Palestinian Authority.
But later, he added, “Prefacing everything, it has to be what the Palestinians want”.
🌎 Norway’s Foreign Minister, Brende calls for a New World Order at Davos WEF Meeting 2024
Follow, like and share for more Davos 2024 news 🔁 pic.twitter.com/bjzB98FeKt
— Davos News 2024 🌐 (@Davos2024) January 16, 2024
Qatar: End the Gaza War first
Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, described the current situation in the Middle East as a “recipe for escalation everywhere”.
He said that the proper way to stop the Ansarallah Houthi attacks is to stop the war in Gaza.
“We need to address the central issue, which is Gaza in order to get everything else defused…if we are just focusing on the symptoms and not treating the real issues, (solutions) will be temporary,” he said.
Qatar’s PM Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warns US and British attacks on Yemen’s Houthis create “a high risk of further escalation and further expansion of” the war on Gazahttps://t.co/QOGQl3EGgJ
— TRT World (@trtworld) January 16, 2024
Saudi Arabia: ‘Palestine First’
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that while regional peace should include Israel, this inclusion should happen at a price.
“We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel, but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a Davos panel.
Asked if Saudi Arabia would then recognize Israel as part of a wider political agreement, he said: “Certainly.”
Prince Faisal said securing regional peace through the creation of a Palestinian state was “something we have been indeed working on with the US administration, and it is more relevant in the context of Gaza.”
The Saudi delegation meets the world at Davos, enhancing international cooperation and dialogue. #SaudiAtDavos #WEF24 pic.twitter.com/MNiPLUW1gv
— CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) January 16, 2024
US: Pieces are There
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan advocated for the expansion of the so-called Abraham Accords, despite the war on Gaza.
“It is not impractical… The pieces are there to be put together to achieve this outcome; and not years down the road, but in the near term, if all of us pull together and make the wise and bold decisions to choose this course,” Sullivan said.
⚡ 🇺🇸 US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the WEF in Davos:
“We need a Palestinian State”
“After the war in Gaza, we need an arrangement that includes normalization, security for Israel and a state for the Palestinians… this is the only path that can work. Not in… pic.twitter.com/Tp5iXHknpV
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) January 16, 2024
Turkiye: Boycott Davos
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked his country’s officials to skip the World Economic Forum in Davos this week over its organizers’ stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, according to Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
“Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was planning to attend the annual gathering of political and business leaders until Erdogan stopped him from going, the people said, asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter,” Bloomberg also reported.
🟡 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered his government to boycott the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, over its stance on the Israeli war in Gaza. #Türkiye #erdogan #ForPalestine #GazzeUnderAttack #Israel #GazaCeasefire #filistin pic.twitter.com/DgZvAnOeRR
— Yeni Şafak English (@yenisafakEN) January 16, 2024
Blinken on Rebuilding Gaza
In an interview with the US news outlet CNBC, from Davos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Arab countries are refusing to get involved in the rebuilding of Gaza knowing that the Strip could be ‘leveled’ again in a few years.
“Arab countries are saying this: They’re saying, look, we’re not going to get into the business, for example, of rebuilding Gaza only to have it leveled again in a year or five years and then be asked to rebuild it again,” he said.
“You have to resolve the Palestinian question,” he added.
This is a developing story ..
(The Palestine Chronicle)
