A 22 members of Arab League summit hosted by Saudi Arabia including Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an association of 57 mostly Muslim-majority states on Saturday called for an end to the war in Gaza and rejected justifying Israel’s actions against Palestinians as self-defence. However, no strong consensus was offered at the summit.
The summit condemned “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, war crimes and barbaric and inhumane massacres by the occupation government,” the communique said.
The communique also called for an end to the siege on Gaza, allowing humanitarian aid into the enclave and halting arms exports to Israel.
In the opening remarks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) called for an immediate cessation of “military operations” in Gaza and the release of all captives and prisoners.
“Gaza is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe and the international community including the UN Security Council has failed to put an end to Israel’s gross violations of international humanitarian laws,” MBS said.
“Their response proves the dual standards adopted by the world,” he stressed.
“We are certain the only cause for peace is the end of the Israeli occupation and illegal settlements, and restoration of the established rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of the state on 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” MBS added.
Speaking at the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel was taking revenge on Gazan babies, children and women, as he renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire.
“We need a permanent ceasefire. We cannot put Hamas resisters defending their homeland in the same category as the occupiers,” he said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani questioned for how long the international community will treat Israel as if it is above international law.
“The international world remains immune in front of all these scenes. Who could have imagined that hospitals could be publicly shelled in the 21st century?” he asked.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the president of Egypt said that the policy of “collective punishment” by killing, siege and forcible transfer are unacceptable.
“This cannot be interpreted as self-defence and must be stopped immediately,” he said.
With Iran repeatedly warning that the scope of war will expand if Israel does not stop its attacks, President Ebrahim Raisi also attended the meeting in Riyadh, marking a first visit by an Iranian president in 11 years.
“Blind bombardment against Gaza must stop,” Raisi said.
“Islamic governments should designate the army of the occupying and aggressor regime [Israel] as a terrorist organisation,” he added.
Raisi said that the US is also responsible equally as Israel, he said.
“US’s vetoes resolutions led the killing of Palestinians. It has paved the way for Israel to kill more, to bombard more and to shell more,” he said.
Israel has not stopped aerial bombing on the Gaza Strip despite increasing calls for an immediate ceasefire and worldwide protests.
The non-stop air strikes and ground assaults – which came in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas which killed 1,200 Israelis – have killed more than 11,000 Palestinian civilians.
Israel has significantly ramped up its attacks on hospitals in recent days, and the United Nations has said the lives of one million children in Gaza are hanging on by a thread amid electricity and fuel outages.
