Saudi Arabia's MbS made Blinken wait for hours before meet

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman kept US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waiting for hours for a meeting, then didn't show up until the next day, reports the Washington Post.

Blinken visited several US allies in the Middle East last week in the wake of the Hamas attacks in Israel, in a bid to rally them around the US' position, including Mohamed bin Salman. 

The core goal of the trip was to persuade the leaders to condemn Hamas' attack and try and tamp down unrest in their countries sparked by the new fighting. But Blinken reportedly got a cold reception in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where key differences between the US and the kingdom emerged. 

Blinken had expected to meet Mohamed bin Salman in the evening after touching down on Saturday, but was kept waiting for hours, with the crown prince eventually showing up the next morning.

In the meeting, the crown prince reportedly called for Israel to halt military operations "that claimed the lives of innocent people," after Israel bombarded the densely populated Gaza strip, and imposed a blockade on food, fuel, and other supplies, according to a report by the Business Insider. 

He also reportedly called for the conflict to be de-escalated.

The Saudi position is in contrast to that taken by the Biden administration. The US president has backed Israel's bid to eliminate Hamas in the wake of the attacks, but has called for civilian lives to be protected.

Blinken's attempts to find common ground with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, another US regional ally, also met with little success, the WP report added.

Saudi Arabia has long been among the US' key regional allies, but in recent years its ruler has sought to steer a more independent course for the kingdom, forming closer ties with China.