Arab Leaders Condemn Israeli Actions in Gaza at Emergency Summit
Arab leaders and Iran’s president gathered in Riyadh on Saturday for an emergency meeting to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The meeting, attended by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saw strong condemnation of Israel’s actions.
The summit comes in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on October 7, which Israeli officials claim resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with 239 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent offensive, both aerial and ground-based, has reportedly killed over 11,000 people, mostly civilians and including many children.
As the summit began, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that his country holds Israeli authorities responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. He emphasized the need to end the Israeli occupation, siege, and settlements in order to guarantee security, peace, and stability in the region.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, on his first visit to Saudi Arabia since the countries mended ties in March, called for Islamic countries to designate the Israeli army as a “terrorist organization” due to its conduct in Gaza.
Israel maintains that its objective is to destroy Hamas and accuses the Palestinian armed group of using civilians as “human shields,” a charge that Hamas denies.
The decision to merge the Arab League and OIC meetings came after Arab League delegations failed to reach an agreement on a final statement. Some countries, including Algeria and Lebanon, proposed threatening to disrupt oil supplies to Israel and severing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel. However, at least three countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, rejected this proposal.
Palestinian group Islamic Jihad expressed skepticism about the outcomes of the summit, criticizing Arab leaders for the delay in taking action.
Israel and the United States, its main backer, have so far rejected calls for a ceasefire, which drew heavy criticism at the summit.
The attendees at the summit included Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was welcomed back into the Arab fold this year after a rift over his country’s civil war.
This is the first visit by an Iranian president to Saudi Arabia since 2012. Iran supports Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Huthi rebels, raising concerns about the war expanding beyond Gaza.
The conflict has already led to cross-border exchanges between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, and the Huthis have claimed responsibility for targeting southern Israel with ballistic missiles.
Analysts suggest that Saudi Arabia feels vulnerable to potential attacks due to its close ties with the US and its consideration of normalizing ties with Israel before the war broke out.
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran hope that maintaining channels of communication will provide them with some protection amid the ongoing conflict.
(Note: This article has been edited for clarity and length)
