Arab foreign ministers meeting in New York demanded on Tuesday an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of the siege on the Palestinian enclave.
A ministerial-level Arab Group meeting was held at the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Palestinian FM Riyad Al-Maliki, Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and FM Dr. Ayman Safadi, Egypt’s FM Sameh Shoukry, Algeria’s FM Ahmed Attaf, Libya’s acting FM Taher Salem Al-Baour, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Noura Al-Kaabi and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attended the meeting.
Prince Faisal said: “We are here with one message: violence is not a solution. The lives of all civilians deserve to be protected and this includes the Palestinians in Gaza.”
He demanded that Israel lift the siege off Gaza and that parties return to the peace process. “A real serious approach is need to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he urged.
“Just peace will never be achieved if the international community does not meet its commitments and resolve the Palestinian situation,” he went on to say.
“Without peace, there can be no real security in our region,” Prince Faisal added, condemning the killing of any civilians.
He hoped that the international community would come together to work for peace.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the meeting was part of joint Arab coordination over the developments in Gaza.
The meeting tackled the situation in Gaza and the surrounding regions. The gatherers reviewed Arab efforts in this regard and coordination against the Israeli military escalation.
