Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler condemned what he called the “genocide” committed by Israel against the Palestinians as he spoke Monday at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders.
“The Kingdom renews its condemnation and categorical rejection of the genocide committed by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at an Arab-Islamic summit, echoing comments by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud late last month.
He urged the international community to stop Israel from attacking Iran and to respect Iranian sovereignty.
The crown prince said in September that the kingdom would not recognize Israel unless a Palestinian state was created.
US President Joe Biden’s administration had sought to broker a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel that would include US security guarantees for the kingdom, among other bilateral agreements between Washington and Riyadh.
These normalization efforts were put on hold following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza and subsequent retaliation by Israel.
At a press conference later on Monday, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League, pointed to an article in a final statement for the summit that called for a freeze on Israel’s membership in the UN General Assembly.
He stated that freezing membership would not fall under the jurisdiction of the Security Council and could be decided by the General Assembly.
“We could soon witness the freezing of (Israel’s) membership through a majority decision of the UNGA,” Aboul Gheit said.
The summit’s final statement demanded that all countries ban the export or transfer of arms and ammunition to Israel and urged the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for civilian and military officials in Israel.
Israel’s military assault on Gaza over the past 13 months has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly the entire population, caused a hunger crisis and led to accusations of genocide at the World Court, which Israel denies.
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