Arab-Islamic Gaza Committee Urges Urgent Sanctions On Israel

RIYADH: The Ministerial Committee, assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Developments in the Gaza Strip, stressed the urgent need for imposing sanctions on Israel, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

Chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Ministerial Committee held an important meeting in Riyadh. The meeting comprising dignitaries from a group formed jointly by the OIC and the Arab League convened to address developments in Gaza.

The committee members who participated in the meeting were the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Al Safadi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein Al Sheikh, and Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi.

The ministries called for international legal mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable, alongside decisive action against settler terrorism.

The officials from Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Qatar and the OIC advocated for halting arms exports in response to Israel’s violations of international law and war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

During the meeting, it was strongly asserted that the Gaza Strip constitutes an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory, rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian population from their homeland or to carry out military operations within the city of Rafah.

Ministers also addressed the repression faced by peaceful demonstrators in Western nations who advocate for an end to the conflict in Gaza and condemn Israeli violations against Palestinians.

The meeting also focused on enhancing joint Arab and Islamic efforts to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza, with a priority on safeguarding civilian lives and ensuring the consistent delivery of humanitarian aid.

The meeting discussed the mechanisms of intensifying joint Arab and Islamic work to reach an immediate cessation to end the war on the Gaza Strip and ensure the protection of civilians by international humanitarian law. There was a commitment to persist in international endeavors aimed at recognizing an independent Palestinian state. This included the endorsement of a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as its capital within the borders of June 4, 1967, in alignment with relevant international resolutions.

The ministers stressed the need for the international community to impose effective sanctions on Israel, including stopping the export of weapons to it in response to its violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the war crimes it is committing in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The ministers also stressed the need to activate international legal tools to hold accountable Israelis responsible for these crimes and the need to stop settler terrorism and take clear and strict positions against it.