Saudi Arabia called on the United Nations and the international community to assume their responsibilities in making a decisive and urgent decision to force Israel to commit to the peace process references, stop its settlement projects, lift the unjust siege on Gaza and end the occupation of Palestinian land and other Arab territories.
The Saudi demand came during a speech delivered by Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Abdullah Al-Moallemi on behalf of the Arab Group, before a meeting of the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee (the Fourth Committee) on Wednesday.
The Saudi representative said that reports submitted to the Fourth Committee emphasized the continued violations by the Israeli authorities of international resolutions and the basic human rights of the Palestinian people. He stressed that the Israeli occupation continued to use excessive force indiscriminately, not distinguishing between children, women and the elderly.
He pointed out that Arab countries were following with great concern the successive and serious developments in the Palestinian file as a result of Israel’s continued construction and expansion of existing settlements, the demolition of houses, the confiscation of land, the judaization of the occupied city of Jerusalem and the continuation of serious breaches of international law.
Al-Moallemi emphasized that Arab countries, under international law and international legitimacy resolutions, “affirm that Al-Quds Al-Sharif is an integral part of the Palestinian territory… the capital of the Palestinian state. All other allegations and declarations are null, void and contrary to international law.”
He reiterated his call on the United Nations and the international community to join hands with the Palestinian people in their quest for the restoration of their inalienable rights, including the right to an independent State on the Palestinian territory, occupied by Israel since 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the UN relevant resolutions.
Meanwhile in Cairo, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its stance and solidarity with the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate historical rights.
Saudi Ambassador to Cairo Osama Naqli expressed his country’s condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli violations in Palestine, during the emergency meeting of the Arab League Council at the level of permanent representatives on Thursday, to discuss the developments of the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip.
“The Palestinian cause is our priority and will remain so until the Palestinian people obtain all their legitimate rights, in particular the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he stated.
