Gulf, Arab Countries Congratulate Saudi Arabia on 93rd National Day

 22 September 2023, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Saudis wave flags as aircraft perform to celebrate Saudi Arabia's National Day in Riyadh. (SPA)
22 September 2023, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Saudis wave flags as aircraft perform to celebrate Saudi Arabia's National Day in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Gulf, Arab Countries Congratulate Saudi Arabia on 93rd National Day

 22 September 2023, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Saudis wave flags as aircraft perform to celebrate Saudi Arabia's National Day in Riyadh. (SPA)
22 September 2023, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Saudis wave flags as aircraft perform to celebrate Saudi Arabia's National Day in Riyadh. (SPA)

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent on Friday a cable of congratulations to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz on the occasion of the Kingdom’s 93rd National Day.

Deputy Emir of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani expressed in two similar cables their congratulations to King Salman.

King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated King Salman bin Abdulaziz on the occasion.

In a cable to King Salman, he underscored the depth of the historical fraternal relations between the two kingdoms and their peoples.

He stressed Bahrain's constant keenness to continue strengthening and developing cooperation and strong joint action with Saudi Arabia in line with their vital strategic partnership to achieve the aspirations and interests of both countries and bring the best benefit to their peoples.

He hailed King Salman and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their dedication to the development and economic prosperity of the region that serves security, stability, peace, and prosperity, and provides a better future for the coming generations.

Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, also congratulated in two cables King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed on National Day.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II congratulated King Salman on the occasion.

In a cable in his name and on behalf of the people and government of Jordan, he expressed his sincere congratulations to King Salman, wishing him good health and happiness, and the Saudi people further progress and prosperity.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent cables of congratulations to King Salman on National Day.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan also sent cables of congratulations to Crown Prince Mohammed on the occasion.

Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the UAE also sent congratulatory cables to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed.

Iraqi President Dr. Abdul Latif Rashid sent a cable of congratulations to King Salman on National Day, wishing him health and success, and the brotherly Saudi people further progress and prosperity.

He also expressed keenness to strengthen relations between their people.



GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi strongly condemned on Tuesday the “brutal massacre carried out by the Israeli forces against innocent Palestinian refugees in Khan Younis in Gaza.”

He stressed that these continuous and brutal attacks perpetrated by the Israeli forces against unarmed civilians in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories “can only be described as deliberate war crimes, revealing a blatant and systematic criminal approach that reflects an utter disregard for international and humanitarian laws and treaties.”

He added that these acts are “blatant contempt for all legal, ethical, and humanitarian values,” the GCC said in a statement.

Albudaiwi called on the international community “to take immediate and urgent action to put an end to these heinous crimes, take decisive measures to cease fire immediately, subject the Israeli forces to accountability for their crimes against humanity, and hold the Israeli government responsible for its racist and barbaric policies against the defenseless Palestinians.”

An Israeli strike hit a crowded Palestinian tent camp early Tuesday in Gaza, killing at least 19 people and wounding 60, Palestinian officials said.

The overnight strike occurred in Mawasi, a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to seek shelter from the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war.

The Muslim World League (MWL) also strongly condemned “the horrific massacres perpetrated by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people.”

It denounced the continued targeting of unarmed displaced Palestinians in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, located in a designated “safe zone” in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, MWL Secretary General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa expressed his deepest concern over the Israeli government's “blatant violation of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms.”

“This ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, unfolding before the eyes of the world, is a direct challenge to the international community's calls for the protection of innocent lives,” he added.

Sheikh Al-Issa emphasized that “there is no justification for this barbarism and humanitarian tragedy other than defiance, arrogance, and revenge against innocent lives. This escalation only serves to complicate the Palestinian issue and hinder the pursuit of peace in the region.”

The MWL called upon the international community “to take urgent action to halt these ongoing massacres, confront the systematic killing, and stop the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Palestinian people.”