Foreign Minister Chairs Urgent Open-ended Emergency Extraordinary Meeting of OIC Executive Committee

Jeddah, – Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah today chaired the urgent open-ended emergency extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the ministerial level at the headquarters of the organization’s General Secretariat in Jeddah to discuss the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

Prince Farhan delivered the Kingdom’s address, highlighting that the meeting was called in response to tragic and violent developments in the region. The aim was to discuss and assess the grave situation regarding the escalation of military operations in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. The address reiterated the Kingdom’s firm rejection of the repeated and escalating attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation forces. Despite numerous appeals for an immediate cessation of these military actions, they continue to result in the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives, including children, women, and the elderly.

Foreign Minister indicated: “Our values and principles dictated by our righteous Islamic religion prohibit the unlawful killing of people, terrorizing the safe people, and targeting children, women and the elderly.”

Prince Farhan emphasized once again the Kingdom’s grave concerns regarding the worsening situation, highlighting the unanticipated consequences and the potential for increased extremism that arise from this escalation. He also underscored the alarming levels of violence and the growing scope of the crisis.

The minister said: “Recent painful developments have shown that avoiding this requires the international community to take a responsible stance by providing protection to civilian Palestinians, the need to abide by the international humanitarian law without selectivity or double standards, including the rejection of forced displacement, lifting the siege on Gaza, and stopping the targeting of critical infrastructure and interests.”

The Foreign Minister stressed the need to seriously exert efforts to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation and reduce the growing suffering in Gaza by calling for the evacuation of the injured, and opening humanitarian corridors to deliver aid, medical equipment and medicine, to prevent a humanitarian crisis, and focus on efforts to de-escalate the situation and restore stability.

He stressed the importance of upholding peace as a strategic option to break the cycle of violence and suffering, saying: “As part of our position in support of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, we call upon the international community to fulfil its responsibilities in implementing the international legitimacy resolutions and to create conditions necessary for restoring the course of peace so as to guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and lead to a just and lasting peace that contributes to regional and international peace and security.”

The Foreign Minister pointed out that the Kingdom will continue to coordinate closely with Arab countries and partners in the international community to end this crisis in a way that meets the aspirations of the leaders and peoples of Islamic countries, and guarantees legitimate rights to a decent life under a just and comprehensive peace for the Palestinian people.

The Kingdom’s delegation included Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji, Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs Dr. Saud Al-Sati, and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the OIC Dr. Saleh Al-Suhaibani.

Source: Saudi Press Agency