Arab summit rejects bid to 'judaise' Palestine

A summit meeting of Arab and Muslim leaders on Monday condemned "horrific and shocking crimes" committed by Israel's army in Gaza, sought a ban on the export of weapons to the Jewish state and called for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories before "comprehensive" peace in the region.

The Muslim world leaders gathered in Riyadh to take part in the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit that focused on the ongoing regional wars. Deputising for Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chaired the daylong summit.

The assembled leaders "condemn in the strongest terms" the Israeli army's actions "in the context of the crime of genocide... especially in the northern Gaza Strip during the past weeks", the summit's closing statement said, citing torture, executions, disappearances and "ethnic cleansing".

The statement said that Israel must withdraw from occupied territories before "comprehensive" peace in the region. The leaders also demanded Palestinian control over Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, calling it the "eternal capital" of the Palestinian territories.

"We reaffirm the full sovereignty of the State of Palestine over occupied East Al-Quds, the eternal capital of Palestine, and reject any Israeli decisions or measures aimed at Judaising it and consolidating its colonial occupation of the city," the statement said.

According to the statement, the leaders called for "providing all forms of political and diplomatic support to the Palestinian people and to the State of Palestine for achieving Palestinian national unity, and for its effective assumption of its responsibilities over all the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, unifying it with the West Bank, including the city of" Jerusalem.

The leaders condemned "the continued attacks by the Israeli occupation authorities and their representatives on the United Nations and its Secretary-General," the statement said, citing restrictions on officials trying to enter "the territory of the State of Palestine".

The leaders who attended the summit, included Jordan King Abdullah II, Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, United Arab Emirates Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iraqi Prime Minister Shia' Al Sudani, Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Irani First Vice President Reza Aref, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sudanese interim President Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and others.

Opening the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that the international community must "immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon", condemning Israel's campaign in Gaza as "genocide".

Saudi Arabia "affirms its support for the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the ongoing Israeli aggression," he said. Prince Mohammed also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving bilateral ties.

Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regretted a "deafening silence" of the international community over the systematic genocide of the people of Palestine and called for a swift action to ensure the establishment of an independent state.

As Ummah, Shehbaz said, they were duty bound by their religion and conscience to stand resolutely with the people of Palestine more than even before. "We should not let this genocide and oppression to persist," he added.

He also called for accountability of Israel for its war crimes, besides, urging the summit to pursue the adoption of UNGA special session's resolution 10/24 that followed up on a historic advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJA).

Shehbaz also demanded a comprehensive review of Israel's membership of the United Nations. He said for more than a year, Gaza had fallen into endless darkness and despair with families torn apart, buildings, schools and hospitals blown up.

He raised alarm at the silence of international community which had shut its eyes in the face of such crimes committed against Palestinians. "Atrocities committed against Palestinians have been rightfully labelled as genocide not only by media, but also by the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," he said.

"With each passing day, every moral code has been flagrantly been violated by Israel yet the killing and destruction continued with no end in sight," the prime minister said, asking the question as to how long this annihilation would be ignored.

"Israel has been emboldened by the international community's indifference and inaction. There has been utter disregard for the humanity's repeated calls for a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian relief and protection of civilians," he added.

"Pakistan stands firm in its commitment to Palestine right to self-determination. We reiterate our unwavering support to establish an independent, viable and contiguous state of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its Capital based upon its pre-1967 borders," he reaffirmed.

He said Pakistan strongly condemned Israel's recent strikes against Iran as an outright violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding "We equally denounce Israel's ongoing aggression against Lebanon and stand in complete solidarity with its people."

The prime minister cautioned that such escalation by Israel constituted a dangerous threat that could unleash a broader war. He expressed the hope that this summit would be a moment to transform their words into action.

"Together they should move beyond condemnation and act swiftly to uphold justice and dignity for the people of Palestine and all those who faced oppression," he said. He expressed his profound gratitude to the sagacious Saudi leadership for convening the summit.