Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah holds talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh on Saturday. Erdogan arrived in the Kingdom on the last leg of a regional tour that focused on the Israeli onslaught on Gaza. (SPA)

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan here yesterday on global efforts to end the Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians in Gaza and establish peace in the Middle East.

The Saudi-Turkish summit talks coincided with a telethon ordered by the king to raise funds for Palestinians affected by the Israeli attacks. King Abdullah launched the fundraising campaign by donating SR30 million. Interior Minister Prince Naif and governors of the Kingdom’s 13 regions supervised the campaign that collected more than SR95 million by midnight.

King Abdullah and Erdogan condemned the brutal Israeli military campaign against the Palestinians that has killed hundreds of people, injured thousands of others and destroyed vital infrastructure facilities. They also called on the international community to force Israel to stop its assaults on Gaza and to refrain from a systematic genocide of the Palestinians.

“During the meeting at the king’s palace in Riyadh, the two leaders discussed Arab, Islamic and global efforts to force Israel to stop its aggression on the Palestinians and establish a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region,” the Saudi Press Agency said. They also stressed the need to create a viable atmosphere for achieving Palestinian unity, the agency said.

The Turkish premier is engaged in a shuttle diplomacy with Arab countries in the search for a cease-fire. The Israeli military onslaught has troubled Turkey’s efforts to broker a wider peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and Syria has suspended Turkish-brokered talks with Israel. Erdogan has already visited Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

“The talks between King Abdullah and Erdogan centered on the dangerous situation in Gaza,” Nabi Avci, chief adviser to the Turkish prime minister, told Arab News. “Erdogan came to the Kingdom with a two-step plan, first to discuss how to bring an immediate cease-fire and second how to ensure unity among the ranks of the Palestinian leadership.”

The two leaders, Avci said, discussed the unacceptable status quo in Gaza, “how to coordinate aid efforts for hundreds of thousands of injured Palestinian patients and what Turkey and Saudi Arabia can do together with other regional allies to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian masses.” He said Ankara would pursue the issue at the UN Security Council next week and coordinate with regional powers.

Erdogan’s visit comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has taken a leading position in international diplomacy to stop Israeli aggression and extend humanitarian aid to the injured Palestinians. A large number of Saudis and expatriates lined up at fundraising centers across the Kingdom yesterday to give donations. The Channel One of Saudi Television launched the telethon at 4 p.m.

Several financial institutions, social organizations, philanthropists and individuals came forward to enlist their support. Many of them called the TV station and announced their donation, while many men and women assembled at collection points to donate cash, gold, jewelry, medicines, clothes and blankets besides other provisions of daily use.

Riyad Bank donated SR1 million. Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar donated SR200,000, while Al-Hokair Group gave the whole proceeds of their sale yesterday. A premier Saudi business group donated 30 ambulances, and a philanthropist in Tabuk SR100,000.

Many children came with their parents to donate. Cars, pickups and small trucks with loads of provisions formed queues at the Malaz Stadium and other collection centers.

Authorities have urged prospective donors to deposit their money in the unified account No. 33 at the National Commercial Bank (NCB). Special committees have been set up to collect donations and prevent foul play.

Saudi Arabia has already sent more than 70 tons of medicines and medical appliances to Gaza through Areesh. A number of Palestinians wounded in the Israeli attacks have been airlifted to the Kingdom. “Health facilities in the Kingdom are ready to receive any number of injured Palestinians from Gaza,” said Health Minister Hamad Al-Manie.

— With input from P.K. Abdul Ghafour