The two politicians also agreed that Gaza’s crossing points re-open to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The French Foreign Minister, Jean Noël Barrot, has reiterated France’s firm opposition “to any” forced displacement of the Palestinian population in a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
The two met on Wednesday during bin Farhan’s visit to France, where he led Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, held in Paris earlier this week.
#Paris | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan met with Fench Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot. 🇸🇦🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/w65AOIvtNz
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 12, 2025
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry said the two ministers addressed the situation in Gaza and “agreed on the importance that the ceasefire agreement be respected, that all the hostages be released as quickly as possible, that the crossing points reopen to allow the massive delivery of humanitarian aid, and that a political solution based on the two-state solution results.”
Conference on Two-State Solution
In this regard, they underlined the importance of the Conference aimed at restoring political momentum to the two-state solution, which Saudi Arabia will co-chair with France, in the coming months, the statement added.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X that bin Farhan and Barrot reviewed “the relations between the two friendly countries and ways to enhance them across various fields.”
Saudi Official: If Trump Wants Peace, He Should Relocate Israelis, Not Palestinians
The two top diplomats also addressed “regional developments and the ongoing efforts to achieve security and peace in the region,” the ministry added.
The French Foreign Ministry said the two also discussed the situation in Lebanon, with Barrot stressing the need for the ceasefire agreement to be respected, said the statement.
He expressed France’s mobilization to this end, including within the framework of UNIFIL, it noted.
Trump’s Plans
These talks come as tensions have escalated since the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January, with US positions heavily favoring Israel.
Trump’s Vision for Gaza: A ‘Riviera’ Built on Ethnic Cleansing
This includes a plan proposed by Trump, which called for the US to take control of the Gaza Strip after forcibly displacing its residents, as well as the US administration’s consideration of recognizing “Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank,” the Anadolu news agency reported.
The proposals for Palestinian displacement come amid a fragile ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19, bringing to a halt Israel’s 15-month-long genocidal assault on the enclave, which has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians and wounded over 100,000.
‘Right to Their Land’
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Saudi Arabia should establish a state for Palestinians on the kingdom’s land.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” Netanyahu said on Thursday during an interview with Israeli Channel 14.
In a statement last week, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its “categorical rejection” of Netanyahu’s statements and affirmed that “the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.”
Saudi Official: If Trump Wants Peace, He Should Relocate Israelis, Not Palestinians
While Trump did not explicitly rule out a two-state solution, officials from his administration indicated that he had “not excluded the possibility in the future,” although he believes that any potential Palestinian state should be limited to the West Bank, Anadolu reported.
The US plan for Gaza has faced strong opposition at the Palestinian, Arab, and international levels.
(PC, Anadolu)
