Saudi Arabia’s role ‘crucial’ in resolving Palestinian conflict

Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and the Pakistani Diaspora in the Middle East and Islamic Countries Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday said that Saudi Arabia had emerged as a crucial player in finding a solution to the long-standing Palestinian issue in a tumultuous region marred by conflict and uncertainty.

In an exclusive interview with APP, he said the recent escalation in violence, exemplified by a deadly missile strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital just hours before US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, underscored the urgency of addressing the Palestinian crisis.

Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said For the Palestinians in Gaza, each passing day brought more suffering, with a continuous toll of lives lost since Oct 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to a potential ground offensive on Gaza added to the tension, while journalists had become casualties in targeted attacks, he added.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, he said Al Jazeera Arabic’s Gaza bureau chief lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in an Israeli airstrike on his home.

He said the absence of foreign journalists in Gaza amplified the courage of Palestinian journalists, who were risking their lives to report on the situation in a region under Israeli siege.

Ashrafi said the Arab leadership, once poised for a new chapter in Israeli-Palestinian relations and the prospect of a self-governing Palestinian state, had witnessed Israel’s disproportionate response to recent events.

He said, “The Saudis have taken a stand by informing Washington of their decision to freeze normalisation talks. This gesture emphasised that the Palestinian issue could not be dismissed in the pursuit of normalising relations with Israel, he added.

He said Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Palestinian issue had primarily centered on regional stability and de-escalation.

He said worldwide condemnation of Israel’s use of force against civilians was continuing to mount as Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah criticised the West’s double standards in the conflict during an interview with CNN.