OIC to Meet in Riyadh to Address Israeli Aggression against the Palestinian People

This picture taken from Sderot along the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 6, 2023, shows smoke rising from northern Gaza after Israeli strikes, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
This picture taken from Sderot along the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 6, 2023, shows smoke rising from northern Gaza after Israeli strikes, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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OIC to Meet in Riyadh to Address Israeli Aggression against the Palestinian People

This picture taken from Sderot along the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 6, 2023, shows smoke rising from northern Gaza after Israeli strikes, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
This picture taken from Sderot along the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 6, 2023, shows smoke rising from northern Gaza after Israeli strikes, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh on Sunday.  

The summit, held at Saudi Arabia’s invitation, will focus on the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. 

Senior sources at the OIC told Asharq Al-Awsat that the invitations have been handed out to all members of the organizations. The majority of leaders are expected to attend given the gravity of the situation in Palestine. 

Riyadh is hosting on Saturday the Arab-African summit and an emergency Arab League summit that will tackle the conflict in Gaza. 

Dr. Saleh al-Khathlan, Senior Advisor at the Gulf Research Center, said the OIC summit was an opportunity for all Islamic countries to take a united position on the Israeli aggression.  

They should declare that Israel must immediately cease its attacks on Gaza, lift the siege, allow the delivery of aid and respect international humanitarian law. 

They should also stress that there can be no alternative to a peaceful settlement to the conflict based on international resolutions, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. 

Saudi Arabia’s invitation is part of a series of steps it has taken, since the eruption of the conflict on October 7, aimed at protecting Palestinians in Gaza and end the war, remarked al-Khathlan. 

Moreover, he noted that the Kingdom was the first country to declare that it had repeatedly warned that the situation in the Palestinian territories was on the verge of imploding in wake of Israeli provocations and occupation. 

Saudi Arabia has since acted given its important position in the region and pivotal role it plays in Arab and Islamic affairs, he stressed. 

He said Saudi Arabia continues to maintain a firm stance towards the Palestinian people until they obtain all their rights, including the establishment of an independent state according to the 1967 borders. 

Furthermore, he noted that Islamic countries have options at their disposal to pressure Israel to cease its hostilities, including recalling ambassadors and suspending economic, trade and military agreements with it. 

He lamented, however, that Israel alone holds the power to end the war. The international community, including heavyweights Russia and China, doesn’t have the means to influence Israel and persuade it to stop its military operations. 



Saudi Arabia Calls for Arab-Islamic Follow-up Summit on Gaza, Lebanon

The first summit assigned a joint ministerial committee to act internationally to stop the war on Gaza. (SPA)
The first summit assigned a joint ministerial committee to act internationally to stop the war on Gaza. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Calls for Arab-Islamic Follow-up Summit on Gaza, Lebanon

The first summit assigned a joint ministerial committee to act internationally to stop the war on Gaza. (SPA)
The first summit assigned a joint ministerial committee to act internationally to stop the war on Gaza. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia called on Wednesday for a Joint Arab-Islamic Follow-up Summit to be held on Nov. 11 to address the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinian territories and Lebanon, as well as the latest developments in the region.
This invitation follows the previous summit hosted by Riyadh on the same date last year, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and continues the efforts led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in coordination with Arab and Islamic leaders.
Saudi Arabia emphasized its commitment to “monitoring regional developments, condemning the continued unjust Israeli aggression on Palestinian territories, and its expansion into Lebanon, which threatens Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, with serious implications for the security and stability of the Middle East.” The Kingdom reiterated its condemnation of the ongoing crimes and violations against both the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
Dr. Khalid Al-Habas, a Saudi political analyst, believes the anticipated summit will call on the international community to assume its responsibilities “to stop Israeli aggression and activate the two-state solution, urging countries that have not yet recognized the Palestinian state to expedite this process.”
He added: “The summit will also support Riyadh-led initiatives to advance the Palestinian cause, including the global coalition currently meeting in Riyadh to implement the two-state solution, as well as address humanitarian aid amidst the destruction and suffering caused by the war.”
The previous summit in Riyadh, attended by Arab and Islamic leaders, decided to “assign the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia—as the chair of the Arab and Islamic summit—as well as those of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine, along with the Secretaries-General of both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to initiate an immediate international mobilization on behalf of all member states to coordinate a global effort to stop the war on Gaza and push for a serious and genuine political process to achieve comprehensive and lasting peace based on established international frameworks.”
The “Riyadh Summit 2023” resolution also called for “tasking both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation with establishing media monitoring units to document all crimes committed by the occupying forces against the Palestinian people.”
Additionally, it called for “the creation of specialized legal monitoring units to document Israeli crimes committed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, with the goal of preparing legal submissions on all violations of international law and international humanitarian law for presentation to the International Criminal Court.”
The resolutions called for “ending the blockade on Gaza and ensuring the entry of Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian aid convoys.” The summit also affirmed “absolute rejection, and collective resistance, to any attempts of forced individual or collective displacement, forced migration, exile, or deportation of the Palestinian people—whether within Gaza, the West Bank, or beyond their homeland—considering such actions a red line and a war crime.”