Arab-Islamic summit calls for halt to Israeli war on Gaza, Lebanon

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud reiterated his country's categorical rejection of the Israeli aggression against Palestinians, which left over 150,000 martyrs including the wounded and missing, mostly women and children.

In an inaugural speech of the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh Monday, the Saudi crown prince called for the need to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, stressing the importance of continuing joint efforts to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed his country's condemnation of the prevention of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from carrying out relief work in the Palestinian territories and obstructing the work of humanitarian organisations from providing relief aid to the Palestinian people.

The Saudi crown prince condemned Israel's attacks on Palestinians as 'genocide'. "The Kingdom renews its condemnation and categorical rejection of the genocide committed by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people," he said.

He also expressed the kingdom's condemnation of the Israeli occupation's military operations that targeted Lebanon and its rejection of threatening its security, violating its territorial integrity and displacing its citizens. He also announced his country's rejection of the attacks on Iran.

The Saudi crown prince affirmed the kingdom's support for Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities to preserve international peace and security.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has urged the suspension of Israel's membership in the UN unless it complies with international law, adheres to documented commitments, and ceases its crimes against the Palestinian people.

Speaking at the summit, Abbas emphasised that the occupation's crimes necessitate collective action to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which calls for a halt to aggression, secured humanitarian access and withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza.

Abbas called for increased Arab and Islamic solidarity in light of the international community's failure to prevent the ongoing aggression and the genocidal war faced by Palestinians for over a year.

He also urged nations worldwide to reassess their relations with the occupation and halt normalisation with it given its continued violations of international law and the targeting of the UNRWA, in addition to implementing the UN General Assembly resolution calling on countries to impose sanctions on the Israeli occupation and define relations with it, as well as calling on it to end the occupation and stop settlement within one year, in accordance with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

The Palestinian president also called for supporting the international coalition to recognise the State of Palestine, obtain its full UN membership, implement the Arab Peace Initiative, and continue to mobilise international support to enable the State of Palestine to carry out its tasks in strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and protecting its national unity.

Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha stressed the importance of international efforts to stop the Israeli aggression and occupation and ensure international protection for Palestinians.

In his speech during the summit, Taha stressed the need to preserve the unity, security and stability of Lebanon and its sovereignty over its internationally recognised territories and borders, calling for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and establishing sustainable stability in Lebanon through the full implementation of Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1701.

He also called for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735 regarding the ceasefire and the adequate and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the Gaza Strip, and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces.

He explained that this summit is being held amid Israeli aggression's unrelenting brutal crimes and genocide in Palestine and Lebanon, targeting UNRWA, compounded by the attempt to displace Palestinians and drag the region into a comprehensive war, in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has stressed that the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian and Lebanese territories is unacceptable, threatens the future of the region and the world, and puts the entire international system at stake.

In his speech during the opening of the summit, the Egyptian president condemned the systematic killing campaign being practiced against civilians in the Gaza Strip, explaining that his country will stand "openly against all plans that aim to liquidate the Palestinian cause, whether through the displacement of civilians or their forced transfer or turning the Strip into an uninhabitable place."

He pointed out that the necessary condition for achieving regional security and stability is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Egyptian president affirmed his country's commitment to providing aid to Lebanon, in support of the steadfastness of state institutions, and in an effort to stop the aggression and destruction to which the Lebanese people are being subjected.

The Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah has stressed that the genocide witnessed in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories by the Israeli occupation requires the international community to unite to put an end to these violations.

In his speech during the summit, he called for the necessity of achieving the principles of accountability and not escaping punishment and complying with the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Kuwaiti crown prince expressed his country's condemnation of the occupation's issuance of legislation aimed at banning the work of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He reiterated Kuwait's firm and historic principled position in support of the Palestinian people in their struggle to end the Israeli occupation, achieve all their legitimate political rights, and establish their independent state on their land within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called for immediate halt to the ongoing Israeli aggression on his country, declaring a ceasefire and establishing the foundations of sustainable stability.

In his speech at the summit, Mikati stressed the Lebanese government's firm and unwavering commitment to international resolution 1701 and strengthening the deployment of the army in the south and in close co-operation with international peacekeeping forces.

He said Lebanon is going through an unprecedented historical and fateful crisis that threatens its present and future, as it suffers from a blatant Israeli aggression that violates the most basic rules of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which were established to protect civilians in armed conflicts.

He pointed out that the Israeli aggression on his country has caused huge humanitarian losses, as the number of victims has so far exceeded three thousand dead, and the wounded have exceeded thirteen thousand people, while about 1mn and two hundred thousand Lebanese have been forced to flee within a few hours.

In this regard, he pointed out that the economic effects of this aggression increase the scale of the tragedy. According to the latest estimates of the World Bank, the damages and material losses to date have been estimated at $8.5bn, he added.

The Lebanese caretaker prime minister stressed that it is not permissible and cannot be for Israel to continue its ongoing aggression against Lebanon and its people, violating its sovereignty and threatening its existence without accountability or supervision.

King Abdullah II of Jordan has called for launching a humanitarian bridge to break the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza and rush urgent humanitarian aid into the Strip, which is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe.

Addressing the Riyadh summit, King Abdullah II called on his brothers and friends to engage in launching a humanitarian bridge to get urgent assistance into Gaza in every conceivable way to stop the war and lift the injustice imposed on the Palestinian people and those in the West Bank.

He emphasised the importance of immediately ceasing the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon, protecting innocents, and ending the devastation to prevent the region from descending into an all-out war, the cost of which will be paid by all, he said.

The Jordanian king pointed out that the failure of the international community to halt the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has led to its escalation against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, as well as the Islamic and Christian holy places, ultimately resulting in the outbreak of a war in Lebanon.

He stressed the importance of exploring a real political horizon to solve the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution as the sole way to achieve peace, stability, and security in the region.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, emphasizing that the lack of accountability has encouraged Israel to pursue reckless plans in the region.

During his participation in the Riyadh summit, Aboul Gheit stated that the Palestinian people are suffering a major tragedy due to the Israeli aggression. He pointed out that Israels current plan aims to dismantle Palestinian society and crush the Palestinian hope for an independent state.

He added that the Middle East the Arab League strives for is one with an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with borders along the June 4, 1967 lines and East Jerusalem as its capital.

Aboul Gheit also criticised the continued bombing of Lebanon and the casualties it is causing, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.