The Riyadh Summit refuses to describe Israel’s aggression against Gaza as self-defense
The Saudi Crown Prince affirming that his country has made relentless efforts to halt the war. Meanwhile, the Egyptian President emphasized the necessity of an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and rejected the displacement of Palestinians.
Participants at the emergency joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Saudi Arabia on Saturday refused to label the retaliatory war on Gaza as self-defense or justify it under any pretext. The final statement called for breaking the siege on the Palestinian territory and urged the entry of Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian aid convoys.
They stressed that any future approach to Gaza must be in the context of working towards a comprehensive solution ensuring the unity of Gaza and the West Bank as part of the Palestinian state, which should be free, independent, sovereign, with East Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of June 4, 1967.
Several leaders from Arab and Islamic countries participated in the summit, including the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that the convening of the joint Arab-Islamic summit occurs under exceptional and painful circumstances, reaffirming his country’s rejection of this brutal war on our Palestinian brethren, urging action to lift the blockade by bringing in humanitarian and relief aid to Gaza.
He added that “the Kingdom has made relentless efforts since the beginning of the events in Gaza, continued consultations and coordination to halt the war, and we renew our demands for an immediate cessation of military operations,” emphasizing “the call for the release of the detained hostages and the preservation of lives.”
He said, “We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe, demonstrating the failure of the Security Council and the international community to put an end to Israeli violations, proving the double standards,” stressing that “it requires a coordinated collective effort to address this regrettable situation.” On his part, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in his speech, stated that the entire world witnesses the chaotic massacres against the people of Gaza, emphasizing that “Israel has killed over 11,000 civilians in Gaza, 70% of whom are children and women, without the international community intervening to stop the bombings.”
He affirmed that a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is a priority over any other consideration, explaining that “Israel seeks to achieve a second forced displacement of Palestinians, which we totally reject and cannot allow.” He pointed out that “it’s impossible to separate Gaza from the West Bank and to destroy the two-state solution endorsed by international legitimacy.”
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated on Saturday that “the Palestinian people are facing an unprecedented genocide war,” urging the United States to “take responsibility for the absence of a political solution and demanding it to stop the Israeli aggression and work on ending the occupation,” adding that the Palestinians need international protection against Israeli attacks. President el-Sisi emphasized in his speech that time weighs heavily on the people of Gaza, who face killings, siege, and inhumane practices.
He said that Egypt has condemned from the beginning the targeting and killing of innocents and terrorizing civilians from both sides, stating that the crimes happening to the Palestinians cannot be justified as self-defense. He stressed the need for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and rejected the displacement of Palestinians, ensuring safe access for humanitarian aid.
The Jordanian monarch emphasized that the people of Gaza are enduring killing and destruction in a horrific war that must stop immediately to prevent a major clash in the region and the world, saying, “The injustice against the people of Gaza didn’t start on October 7 last year but began with the policies of blockade and starvation of the people in the Strip.”
He added that “keeping the people of Gaza without water, food, and fuel is a war crime that cannot be accepted,” pointing out that the Arab decision passed in the United Nations General Assembly should be the start for a political solution, otherwise, the alternative would be an increase in extremism and hatred.
The Amir of Qatar in his speech mentioned that the people of Gaza endure what humans should not bear under the Israeli war machine’s claims of self-defense, stating that “the international community treats Israel as above the law, and the bombing of hospitals cannot pass unnoticed.” He emphasized the necessity of opening the crossings to deliver aid to Gaza without any obstacles or conditions, expressing hope for a humanitarian ceasefire to prevent a larger catastrophe than what the people of the Strip are currently experiencing.
Erdoğan, in his speech, stated that an international peace conference is essential to reach a permanent solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, emphasizing that ‘what we need in Gaza is not a few hours’ halt to the fighting but a permanent cessation of fire.’ President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan called for ‘the rapid cessation of fire and sitting at the negotiating table to establish an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem,’ according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
In turn, Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for ‘the necessity to demand a complete cessation of fire (…) and the delivery of humanitarian aid and to hold Israelis accountable for all the human crimes they have committed.’ Pakistani President Arif Alvi, in his speech, emphasized that ‘the people of Gaza need relief, an immediate cessation of fire, and forcing Israel to stop its ground invasion and lift the blockade and open pathways for the entry of humanitarian aid without conditions.’
Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, said, ‘We call upon the international community, especially the Security Council, to play its role in an immediate cessation of military operations and ensuring the urgent delivery of relief aid and preventing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people,’ according to the Kuwaiti News Agency.
Additionally, President Abdul Latif Rashid of Iraq urged ‘the international community to take serious action to condemn the targeting of civilian institutions in the Gaza Strip, followed by an immediate halt to military actions and the swift entry of aid convoys without restrictions,’ according to the Iraqi News Agency. President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti confirmed in his speech, ‘This summit calls for an immediate cessation of the brutal aggression by the Israeli occupation forces against the defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza.’
The President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, said, ‘We call on the international community to stop these massacres in the name of the children of Gaza, our brothers, and our humanity and to find a solution to this crisis to preserve peace and stability in our countries.’
President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania said, ‘It is our duty to push the international community to exert the necessary pressure to compel Israel to an immediate cessation of fire and the lifting of the blockade, a prelude to initiating a peace process resulting in a sovereign Palestinian state.’
Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio urged ‘the international community to take urgent action to stop or address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza.’ President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud of Somalia emphasized, ‘There must be a comprehensive cessation of fire, ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid to its rightful recipients, the release of all hostages, and a just solution to the Palestinian issue.’ President Macky Sall of Senegal said, ‘Communication will be established with the United Nations Security Council to halt the hostilities in Palestine.’
Yemeni Presidential Council head Rashad Al-Alimi expressed, ‘It should be a priority of this summit’s objectives to work with the international community and peace-loving people to support comprehensive solutions to the Palestinian tragedy, according to international legitimacy.’ Libyan Presidential Council President Mohammed Al-Manfi stated, ‘The Palestinian people are still subjected to deprivation, starvation, and brutal aggression.’
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch stressed the importance of ‘an urgent and tangible de-escalation and the permanent cessation of military assaults, which necessitates a permanent ceasefire,’ according to the Moroccan News Agency.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said, ‘We must work together for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the opening of crossings, and the entry of aid to our brothers in Gaza and the initiation of a serious and effective political process that leads to a just, comprehensive, and permanent resolution of our core issue.’
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi stated in his speech that his country is “with the call to restrain this futile war, to stop it, open humanitarian corridors, facilitate the entry of all humanitarian and relief needs to Gaza, lift the imposed siege, and release the hostages and prisoners.” The Palestinian movement Hamas has called on Arab and Islamic nation leaders gathered in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday to make a “historic and decisive decision” to act immediately to halt the aggression on Gaza.
The movement also urged in a statement posted on its Telegram account for the “formation of committees in all medical, humanitarian, relief, and parliamentary specialties to immediately head towards the Egyptian-Palestinian Rafah crossing, defying the Zionist occupation.” They emphasized the necessity of “introducing all relief, medical, food supplies, and fuel to save all the hospitals in Gaza, which have been or will be forced out of service before they become mass graves and massacres that shame humanity.”
The movement called on leaders gathered in Riyadh to “employ all the Arab and Islamic power cards to enforce that by pressuring the US administration that directly bears responsibility for the genocide our people in Gaza are facing.” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met today for the first time since the two countries reached an unexpected rapprochement agreement in March, under Chinese sponsorship, as reported by the official media.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) carried an image on the “X” platform of the two leaders during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a joint summit of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh. This is the first visit by an Iranian president to Saudi Arabia since the former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to attend an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Jeddah in August 2012 and the first meeting between an Iranian president and the Saudi royal family since then. Addressing the Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, the two leaders called on Islamic nations to classify the Israeli army as a “terrorist organization” following its armed operation in the Gaza Strip, while demanding to arm Palestinians in case “the attacks continued” in the besieged Palestinian territory. They also urged for a trade boycott of Israel, which Tehran does not recognize, especially in the “energy field,” stating, “Trade and cooperation with the Zionist entity must cease and ‘Israeli‘ goods must be boycotted.”
Furthermore, the presidents reiterated accusations against the United States, claiming that they “encourage the Zionist entity in its crimes in Gaza and have effectively entered the war alongside Israel by sending their warships to the Eastern Mediterranean.” They also called for “the formation of an international court to prosecute the Zionists and Americans involved in genocidal operations and massacres against humanity in Gaza.”
