Japan, Saudi Arabia hold telephone summit on Mideast crisis

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a telephone meeting on Oct. 18 to discuss recent developments in Israel and Palestine.

Kishida said that he is paying close attention to the situation in Israel and Palestine, including Gaza, and views the situation with deep concern.

Additionally, the prime minister expressed “indignation” over the deaths of innocent civilians caused by the attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, and said he is seeking to coordinate to secure civilians’ safety and calm the situation as soon as possible.

Kishida said that Japan is providing humanitarian aid to Gaza worth 1.5 billion yen ($10 million) through international organizations, and is seeking cooperation with other parties involved to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In response, the crown prince explained Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, adding that he has been in close contact with the concerned parties, and that the Gulf Cooperation Council is seeking to strengthen its humanitarian assistance.

“The two leaders concurred on maintaining close cooperation between the two countries, and working on improving the humanitarian situation and calming down the situation,” Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.