The situation in the Gaza Strip and the steps for an energy transition were the main topics addressed this Sunday by politicians, diplomats and business leaders on the first day of the special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh.
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The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the recognition of Palestine took over one of the sessions, in which the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, called on the international community to “commits to its obligations” and recognize the State of Palestine, just as it did with Israel, a step to end the historic conflict.
He also called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, the entry of more humanitarian aid without restrictions and warned against the displacement of civilians out of the territory to “avoid repeating the ‘Nakba’ of 1948 and 1967“, in reference to the exodus of Palestinians after the creation of Israel.
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Given fears of an Israeli ground operation against the town of Rafah, in the extreme south of the Gaza Strip and where more than 1.4 million people displaced by the war are crowded, he assured that ““The United States is the only country” that can prevent it.
Energy transition iStock
Encourage the energy transition
Another of the key aspects that this first day put on the table was the promotion and development of a transition towards a clean energy matrix, a point in which the regret for the lack of mechanisms that encourage the production of this type of energy was relevant.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned of the “absence of incentives”, as well as “challenges” regarding the production and sale of clean energy, especially green hydrogen.
Saudi Energy Minister Salman bin Abdelaziz regretted the absence of “necessary technologies” to accelerate its production, while his Emirati counterpart, Suhail al Mazrouei, pointed out that “only Europe” demands this product, which affects the price.
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Mazrouei also implicitly criticized proposals by “some” to impose taxes on the sale of fossil energy to encourage the production and sale of renewable energy.
Along these lines, the Minister of State for Energy and executive president of Qatar Energy, Saad Al Kaabi, stated that “Oil and gas producers have been demonized during the last decade, as if we were doing evil to humanity”.
The special meeting of the WEF will last until this Monday, and will have the participation of the “key actors” in the mediation of the conflict, such as the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, or the foreign ministers of Egypt and Qatar. , among others.
The program includes sessions on artificial intelligence, economic projects in space, access to food and water for the entire population, nuclear energy, sustainability and mental health.
EFE
