Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The escalating violence in the Palestinian and Lebanese territories, including the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, has compelled Arab and Islamic leaders to take urgent action, and that was translated through their resolve to gather together for a follow-up summit in Riyadh on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.

The key priorities of the Arab and Islamic leaders include halting the aggression, protecting civilians, providing support to the Palestinian and Lebanese people, unifying positions, and exerting pressure on the international community to take decisive steps to end the ongoing attacks and establish lasting peace and stability in the region.

Given Saudi Arabia's historic role in serving Islam and Muslims, and its commitment to defending Arab and Islamic causes, particularly the Palestinian cause, the Kingdom, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, has called for an Arab-Islamic summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on November 11, 2024. This urgent meeting is convened in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Palestinian and Lebanese territories.

The summit builds on the Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, as Arab and Islamic leaders recognize the urgent need for unified efforts and a collective stance to address the dangerous and unprecedented developments in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories. This requires solidarity among Arab and Islamic nations to confront these challenges and mitigate their consequences.

The summit tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, and any other interested countries, along with the secretaries general of the Arab League and OIC, to initiate immediate international action that seeks to halt the war on Gaza and pressure for a serious political process to achieve lasting, comprehensive peace based on internationally recognized principles.

In response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza Strip, the Ministerial Committee, which was formed during the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit, has embarked on a series of diplomatic engagements with world leaders and officials, aimed to garner international support for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the restoration of essential services to the besieged Gaza Strip.

During their meetings, committee members emphasized the urgent need to halt the Israeli military aggression, which has led to the displacement of countless Palestinians and the destruction of critical infrastructure, and called for the establishment of safe corridors to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies.

The committee members strongly condemned Israel's continued violation of international law and humanitarian norms, including the denial of basic rights like access to water, electricity, and freedom of movement. They reiterated their unwavering support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They asserted the need to revive the peace process to ensure a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace, and support the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. The committee calls on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and act against Israel’s violations of international and humanitarian laws.

On December 15, 2023, in Oslo, Norway's capital, committee members convened an official meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the foreign ministers of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, where they called for urgent action to address the grave violations committed by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, emphasizing the need to hold the occupation forces accountable for their ongoing breaches of international law and humanitarian norms in Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

On May 29, 2024, committee members expressed gratitude to Spain's recognition of the State of Palestine, and reaffirmed their commitment to providing comprehensive support to further the recognition of Palestinian statehood and ensure that the rights of the Palestinian people are upheld.

On September 22, 2024, committee members held a coordination meeting in New York, ahead of the High-Level Week of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, to strategize on intensifying Arab and Muslim efforts during the assembly, focusing on advancing the recognition of the Palestinian state and upholding the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state along the borders of June 4, 1967, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.

On September 27, an urgent ministerial meeting of the Arab League and OIC took place alongside the 79th session of the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week in New York. The purpose of the meeting was to address the escalation of Israeli military attacks against both the State of Palestine and Lebanon.

The attendees discussed strategies to intensify Arab and Muslim efforts within the international community, particularly to engage with the permanent members of the Security Council. Their goal was to secure an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression against Palestine and Lebanon, and to protect the region from the potential expansion of the conflict, which could jeopardize regional and global peace and safety.

The meeting also explored ways to strengthen joint Arab and Muslim action to facilitate the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, especially in light of the recent announcement regarding the International Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and relevant international resolutions.

Given the ongoing brutal Israeli aggression on the occupied Palestinian territories, which has now expanded to include attacks on Lebanon, threatening its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit is scheduled to be held in Riyadh on Monday.