Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Monday condemned what he described as the "genocide" of Palestinians in the war in Gaza. Speaking at the joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, MBS said Lebanon's territorial integrity must be respected and criticized Israeli strikes on Iran. The crown prince said effort must continue to establish a Palestinian state.
The summit Saudi Arabia's chief of staff visited Iranve year and includes countries in the region. Last year, Iran's president Ibrahim Raisi attended the summit but current president Masour Pezeshkiandid not attends this year.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's chief of Staff visited Iran to meet with his counterpart. The two men discussed defense ties between the countries.
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said it is vital to impose an arms embargo on Israel as well as a trade boycott. Erdogan said the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was working to increase military tension against Iran.
"By banning UNRWA's work, Israel seeks to nullify a two-state-solution to the Palestinian conflict," he said. "Israel's aim is to settle in Gaza and to harm Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem."
Arab, Muslim leaders in Riyadh for summit
The Turkish president also said Israel must be isolated internationally unless it ends its aggression in Gaza and Lebanon. "We must encourage more countries to recognize a Palestinian state," he said.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said any attempt to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank must be rejected and the violence from settlers must be stopped. He called on the UN Security Council and the General Assembly to suspend Israel's membership in the international body. "Nations of the world must examine their relations with Israel and not normalize them," he said.
Abbas also called to implement the General Assembly's decision regarding the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and asked for support from an international coalition to bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state with full membership in the UN. In his concluding remarks, Abbas said the PA was preparing mechanism for the administration of Gaza.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati turned to representatives attending the summit and said his country was suffering from a historic crisis in dealing with Israel's aggression on top with other challenges. Without mentioning Hezbollah, Mikati said the economic cost of Israel's military offensive compounds the disaster. "I call on you to support Lebanon and its institutions and continue to send urgent aid," Mikati said adding that his government is committed to UN resolution 1701, passed at the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, in full.
Jordan's king Abdullah said the international community had not stopped Israel which continues to forge its war in Lebanon. "We must increase efforts to break the siege on Gaza, prevent an escalation in the West Bank, support Lebanon's sovereignty and stop the war against it," the king said. "The international community must take a stand to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and to end the war."
Abdullah met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi on Monday on the sidelines of the summit, the Egyptian presidential palace said. The two leaders discussed regional matters and their efforts to stop the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
"The Israeli aggression against Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon has continued for over a year. We condemn the killing spree against civilians in Gaza," el-Sisi said in a statement. "A condition for security is the establishment of a Palestinian State along the pre-1967 war border and we will come out against any plan aimed at destroying the Palestinian question."
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