Saudi Gazette report

GENEVA — Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that Saudi Arabia will continue its call for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“We will ensure the safe passage for sufficient humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, releasing all civilian hostages, and placing us on a credible track of just and sustainable peace” he said while addressing a meeting of the situation of human rights in Palestine and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday. The two-day meeting marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Prince Faisal, who is also chairman of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit to undertake a global initiative to end the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Members of the ministerial committee also attended the meeting.

The foreign minister said that the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights coincides with the distressing human rights situation in occupied Palestine. “The international community must believe in the importance of respecting and promoting human rights through multilateral cooperation, and in times of peace and war, as the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols regulate the conduct of war to limit its damages and protect civilians, forming the core of international humanitarian law,” he said.

Prince Faisal emphasized that the situation in Palestine shows everyone the clear violations of international humanitarian law and breaches of the Geneva Conventions. He expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of the atrocities committed by Israel, which violated basic principles of human rights. “The bitter reality in the Gaza Strip will affect international security and the credibility of UN bodies by allowing the selective execution of the international law,” he said while reiterating the Kingdom's rejection of the continuation of this suffering.

The minister pledged support for the position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and called for Israel to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s population. He stressed the importance of granting Palestinians the right to a dignified life, the right to safety, the right to appropriate shelter, the right to basic necessities, and above all the right to self-determination.