The West is responsible for the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip by supporting Tel Aviv's actions, the participants of the extraordinary joint summit of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh said. According to them, it is necessary to stop Israel's military operations as soon as possible, organize the delivery of aid to the peaceful population and create functioning security mechanisms.
TASS has gathered the main statements and initiatives of the leaders at the meeting.
What West is guilty of
- The participants of the meeting were unanimous in their public statements, calling the Western countries a direct accomplice of "Israeli aggression." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for example, directly blamed the United States for the lack of a political solution to the Middle East conflict. "We will prosecute war criminals at international courts, and the United States will be held responsible for the failure to resolve [the crisis]," Abbas said.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a similar point: "America is constantly sending a message to Iran and some other countries that the scope of the war should not be expanded, but this statement is not in line with America's actions. America has blocked the ceasefire in Gaza and is expanding the scope of the war."
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret that "Western countries, which always talk about human rights and freedoms, remain silent in the face of the continued killing of Palestinians." He said: "The West and Israel, which behaves like a spoiled child of this West, should compensate for the damage, the destruction caused to the Palestinians."
Suspension of hostilities
- The speakers agreed that the first step to ending the conflict should be a suspension of hostilities in Gaza. As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said, it is necessary to cease Israeli hostilities, force the radical Palestinian movement Hamas to release hostages and put an end to the forced displacement of the population of Gaza.
- The first priority is a permanent, not temporary, ceasefire in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, the Turkish president said. "The most urgent thing is not a pause in hostilities for a few hours, but a permanent ceasefire," he said.
- Crown Prince of Kuwait Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah pointed out that the entire world community, and in particular the UN Security Council, should "assume its direct responsibility and immediately stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip."
Mechanism to guarantee security
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Cairo insists on the formation of a concrete mechanism to achieve a just settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the idea of two independent states. "It is also the turn of the international community to exert maximum efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state," he said.
- Erdogan said that Ankara is ready to participate in the establishment and operation of a security guarantee mechanism for the Palestinians, including a system of guarantor countries. The Turkish leader noted that the guarantee system "will be able to provide security not only for the Palestinians, but also for the Israelis and the entire region."
- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, called on the UN Security Council to approve Palestine's full membership in the organization and to convene an international peace conference dedicated to the reconstruction of Gaza and the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian National Authority, he said, "is ready for general parliamentary and presidential elections that will cover the entire territory of Palestine, including Jerusalem."
Measures against Israel
- A number of world leaders have suggested increased pressure on Israel. Syrian President Bashar Assad said that "effective steps, not verbal rhetoric, are needed at this moment" to stop the war. "Arab countries must limit their contacts with Israel in order to stop the fighting in Gaza," he pointed out.
- The Iranian president, for his part, called for using "all means" to force the US and Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza, including suggesting that Islamic countries arm the Palestinians to fight Israel if the fighting in the enclave does not stop.
- Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called on the UN to send an international investigation team to Gaza to determine the extent of Israeli responsibility for attacks on civilian targets, including health facilities.