Representatives of Arab and Muslim countries have called for a UN resolution calling for a halt to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. At their summit in Riyadh they also called for an international peace conference.
In view of the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip, representatives of Arab and Muslim countries have called for a “binding” UN resolution to stop Israeli attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement adopted at a summit in Riyadh, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said that failure to adopt such a UN resolution would constitute “complicity” in allowing Israel “to carry out its brutal aggression to continue killing innocent people and turning Gaza into ruins.
Furthermore, the participants in the paper called for an international peace conference. This would have to be held as quickly as possible in order to get a peace process going “on the basis of international law and international decisions”. The states called for an immediate halt to “Israeli aggression.”
Participants don’t see any Self-defense Israel
In their final statement, the summit participants emphasized that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip could not be described as self-defense “or justified under any pretext.” They also emphasized the importance of a Gaza Strip united with the West Bank “as the territory of the Palestinian state” with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A “just, lasting and comprehensive peace” is the only way to ensure stability and security for the entire region, the statement added. Regional peace can only be achieved if the “Palestinian question” is taken into account in the search for a solution – and not if the rights of the Palestinian people are ignored. The two-state solution must be implemented. Any attempt to “forcibly relocate” Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank or Jerusalem will be rejected.
accusation of war crimes and call for a boycott
At the same time, international investigations into “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed by Israel were called for. All countries should also stop exporting weapons and ammunition to the “occupation authorities” – which means Israel. A “double standard in the application of international law” was denounced. At the same time, the statement emphasized the need to release “all prisoners, detainees and civilians” without specifying which people were specifically meant.
An emergency meeting of the 22 member states of the Arab League was originally planned in Riyadh on Saturday and a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday. Following consultations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the OIC, it was decided to hold a special joint summit instead. The OIC includes 57 Muslim states.
Iranian president and Syrian ruler took part
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was among the invited guests. It was his first visit to the kingdom since the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In his speech, Raisi called on the Islamic states, among other things, to break off their political and economic relations with Israel.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad also spoke at the summit. He called for action in the Gaza war. “If we don’t have real leverage, all our moves and speeches are meaningless,” he said. He called for Arab unity to counter what he described as “Zionist cruelty and massacres.”