by Admin
Nov 12, 2024
Muslim-Arab leaders convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over the weekend to discuss the volatile situation in the Middle East and the Arab world at large. The meeting which began on Friday and ended on Monday had 57 Arab-Muslim leaders from the world in the four-day summit that had the Western world on its toes.
The meeting was organized by the Arab League (AL) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as a form of solidarity against Israel’s aggressive behavior in the Middle East, which has desolated Gaza with thousands of people dead, while Lebanon has been under constant Israeli airstrikes, and a constant tussle of power between Israel and Iran has increased the tension in the Middle East to another level of chaos.
The failure of the United States and the United Kingdom to call Israel to order has been seen as an act of enforcing the Israeli continuous military aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.
In the last few days, the United States and the United Kingdom have sent military warplanes to the Middle East as a show of support for Israel in its continuous military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon.
The summit’s closing statement called for the return to the pre-1967 borders, referencing United Nations resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offered Israel normalized relations in exchange for a two-state resolution.
The leaders called for the sovereignty of a Palestinian state and the implementation of making East Jerusalem the capital with a call for an international plan and support for the implementation of the resolution.
In a show of support for the people of Gaza and Lebanon, Mohammed Bin Salam, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia echoed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, he said, immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon… and the condemnation of Israel genocide in Gaza”. The Crown Prince also condemned Israel’s provocative acts towards Iran and called for an immediate halt to the provocations.
Backing the statement of the Crown Prince was Najib Mikati, the Prime Minister of Lebanon who disclosed this country has been under constant internal and external conflict due to Israel’s interference in his country’s sovereignty and has reinforced the need for Israel to be stopped by any means necessary.
Hamas in its statement at the summit said “The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital would require more immediate efforts and practical solutions to force (Israel) to stop its aggression and genocide against our people”.
A call that has been dismissed by the Israeli government, in a statement issued by Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister who reiterated that the creation of Palestinian statehood is not “realistic”. He further disclosed that the Israeli government will push for the annexation of the West bank as part of their plan to erase the realization of a Palestinian state.