Saudi Arabia pushing for Israel to accept ceasefire

Saudi Arabia is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of more aid into the territory amid Israel’s war on Hamas, the Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in an interview with Al Arabiya.

An agreement between Hamas and Israel must include those two factors, he said.

Prince Faisal made the statements on the sidelines of the first high-level European Union-Gulf Cooperation Council security forum held in Luxemburg. The minister also revealed that several countries in the European Union have had talks about recognizing the State of Palestine, which he said was a positive step towards achieving peace in the region.

“We hope that this step by at least some European countries will eventually be followed by others,” he told Al Arabiya.

Tensions in the region have been high since October 7 following Hamas’ incursion into southern Israel, which prompted Israel to respond to by launching a ruthless military campaign on the Gaza Strip.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, the majority of whom are children and women, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel has also prevented the entry of much needed aid into the territory, causing global outcry from international rights groups who say this has led to widespread famine across the territory and worsened the already dire humanitarian conditions.

Meanwhile, The University of Michigan is informing students of the rules for upcoming graduation ceremonies: Banners and flags are not allowed. Protests are OK but in designated areas away from the cap-and-gown festivities.

The University of Southern California canceled a planned speech by the school’s Muslim valedictorian. At Columbia University, where 100 students were arrested last week following protests, officials temporarily canceled in-person classes Monday as they work to find a resolution to the crisis.

This is commencement season 2024, punctuated by the tension and volatility that has roiled college campuses since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. In response, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

Since the war began, colleges and universities have struggled to balance campus safety with free speech rights amid intense student debate and protests. Many schools that tolerated protests and other disruptions for months are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline.

A series of recent campus crackdowns on student protesters have included suspensions and, in some cases, expulsions.