JEDDAH: Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah has demanded the international community and the UN Security Council to stop Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
He made the remarks at an extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah to discuss Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
During the session, the foreign minister said the world should stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people by ensuring the protection of civilians, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and allowing the permanent access of humanitarian relief aid.
He voiced concerns over the dire consequences of targeting and storming the city of Rafah. He went on to say that the plans to expand military offensive towards Rafah will only bring more suffering to the defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The foreign minister reiterated the rejection of the Islamic countries against the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from the Palestinian territories and stressed the need of allowing the immediate and safe return of displaced civilians.
He indicated that Saudi Arabia—through its direct bilateral communications with most countries across the world, and through its role within the ministerial committee emanating from the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit—has asked the international parties and the international community to fulfill their responsibilities in stopping the war and irresponsible escalation, protecting innocent civilians, and preventing forced displacement.
‘High time to recognize State of Palestine’
He strongly believed that the time has come to make a decision to recognize the State of Palestine and continue to pressurize Israel to stop the war in Gaza and accept the two-state solution.
The foreign minister said that withholding financial assistance from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at this time would harm innocent civilians in Gaza and enhance the suffering of the people of Palestine.
Moreover, the minister called on nations that halted their support to UNRWA to reconsider their decisions.
The foreign minister concluded by reiterating the necessity of ending the suffering and providing hope for the Palestinian people, enabling them to secure their rights to live in safety and determine their destiny.
He said that this could happen through a wise path towards the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant global resolutions.
