White House envoy met senior Palestinian official in Saudi Arabia for ceasefire talks [Getty]
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official Hussein al-Sheikh in Riyadh on Tuesday, during a visit set up by Saudi Arabia amid ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and potentially broker an Israeli-Saudi normalisation agreement.
Al-Sheikh, a close advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and widely considered his potential successor, has been involved in behind-the-scenes talks with various international players.
Witkoff’s discussions with al-Sheikh followed weeks of covert communication as part of broader Saudi efforts to shape a political framework for the region, including a future Palestinian state.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government remains opposed to any agreement that includes such a prospect. While Riyadh pushes for a resolution that addresses Palestinian aspirations, Netanyahu’s stance complicates any potential breakthrough.
Ceasefire talks phase two underway
The top diplomat is also expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and visit the Gaza Strip today. Witkoff will inspect the Netzarim Corridor before attending talks with senior Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The focus of these discussions will be the second phase of the ceasefire and ongoing captive exchanges with Hamas, which have been central to the truce agreement.
The timing of the US envoy’s visit is significant. President Abbas had previously expressed a willingness to engage with the Trump administration for peace based on a two-state solution. In his first term, Donald Trump proposed a controversial peace plan that included large-scale Israeli occupation of the West Bank, with some land allocated for a future Palestinian state, in his so-called ‘Deal of the Century’.
Witkoff reportedly played a key role in brokering the initial Gaza ceasefire deal and allowing more exchanges of hostages and Palestinian detainees. Indirect negotiations are set to resume after 16 days of truce, with Qatar also signalling readiness to support the second phase of talks.
On Tuesday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, announced that Doha is ready to commence talks on the second phase. The ceasefire, now in its 11th day, has allowed thousands of Palestinians to return to their destroyed homes in northern Gaza, which has been heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
The meeting comes after Trump invited Netanyahu to meet at the White House on 4 February despite the Israeli leader facing an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and led to the forced displacement of millions of families.
