Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — The 163rd Ministerial Council meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which concluded in Makkah on Thursday, reiterated the support of the GCC for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people to continue living on their land, and its rejection of any attempts to displace the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Describing such a move as a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, the meeting called for providing international protection for the people of Gaza.

In a statement, issued at the end of the meeting, the Gulf foreign ministers welcomed the Cairo Arab Summit's decision to hold an international conference for reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, urging the international community and all friendly countries to participate actively and generously in the donors' conference for reconstruction scheduled to be held soon, and to mobilize the necessary resources to implement the plan in cooperation with the Palestinian government and relevant international parties

The council stressed the necessity of ending the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip as well as to alleviate their suffering, and ensuring the provision of all humanitarian aid for its residents. The council condemned the decision of the Israeli occupation government to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying that this is a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement, international humanitarian law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. It called on the international community to stop these serious violations, activate international accountability mechanisms, and ensure sustainable access to aid.

The meeting appreciated the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the United States to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, expressing hope that it would contribute to a permanent ceasefire and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid continuously and without delay. The council stressed that Israel should bear full responsibility for its violations and attacks on Gaza, which resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, most of whom were women and children, and considered them war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The meeting extended support for the Palestinian plan approved by the extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4, stressing that the future of the Gaza Strip must be within the context of a unified Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution. It stressed the importance of what was stated in the summit statement regarding the call to establish an international fund to care for Gaza orphans in cooperation with the United Nations.

The meeting stressed the need to open all border crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the access of any investigation or fact-finding committee regarding the charge of genocide.

It stressed the need to intensify cooperation with international and regional powers, and to double the efforts of the international community to resolve the conflict, in a way that meets all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The council affirmed its support for the efforts of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, and the efforts of Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Norway and the European Union, to set a timetable for the embodiment of the independent Palestinian state, and ending the Israeli occupation, calling on all countries desiring peace to join this initiative.

It also welcomed the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to hold a high-level international conference, chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in New York next June, in order to reach a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implement the two-state solution.

The council condemned the decision of the Israeli government to stop the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), calling on the United Nations to carry out its responsibilities according to international law, oblige the occupying state to reverse it, and ensure the continuation of the agency's work in providing its services to refugees.

The Ministerial Council welcomed the results of the separate Gulf ministerial meetings with Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Syria in Makkah on Thursday. It praised the special strategic partnership between the GCC and Jordan, noting the importance of intensifying efforts to implement the joint action plan that was agreed upon within its framework.

The council noted the importance of strengthening the strategic dialogue with Egypt through the memorandum of understanding signed on February 24, 2022, and intensifying efforts to implement the joint action plan for the period of 2024-2028. It also noted the importance of intensifying efforts to implement the joint action plans that were agreed upon within the framework of the strategic partnership between the GCC and Morocco.

The council stressed its support for the Syrian people by providing them with all assistance and support at this important stage in their history. It stressed the importance of strengthening economic relations with countries and international economic blocs in a way that achieves the commercial and investment interests of the Gulf countries and enhances their regional and international position, including through negotiations on free trade agreements that the GCC is working on with several countries and international economic groups.

The ministerial meeting stressed that the GCC position on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is based on the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, and the preservation of the international system based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and non-use of force or threat of force.

It praised the diplomatic efforts made by Saudi Arabia, and it’s hosting of the talks between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian crisis in Riyadh on February 18, expressing its hope that these talks will lead to achieving their desired goals in enhancing security and stability.

Earlier, addressing the council meeting, Jassim Albudaiwi, secretary general of GCC, said that the meeting welcomed the decision of the Cairo Summit to hold an international conference for reconstruction of Gaza, in cooperation with the State of Palestine and the United Nations. He urged the international community to participate in it.

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan attended on Thursday the joint ministerial meetings between foreign ministers of GCC and their counterparts from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Morocco. The meetings were chaired by Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council.