Gulf leaders stressed on Tuesday the need for the truce to be reinstate in Gaza, leading to a sustainable ceasefire and the delivery of aid for the Palestinian people.
Qatar hosted the 44th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The leaders discussed the critical and dangerous challenges facing the region, especially the Israeli attack on Gaza and the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem and Islamic and Christian holy sites.
They expressed deep concern and great dissatisfaction with the “blatant Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and condemned the escalation of acts of violence and indiscriminate bombing carried out by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.”
They slammed “the forced displacement of the civilian population, and the destruction of civilian facilities and infrastructure, including residential buildings, schools, health facilities and places of worship, in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
They praised the joint mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the United State, which resulted in reaching an agreement for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.
They stressed the need for “immediately resuming this humanitarian truce to achieve a complete and sustainable ceasefire and ensure the arrival of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs, the resumption of the work of electricity and water lines, and the entry of fuel, food and medicine for the residents of Gaza.”
The GCC stands by the brotherly Palestinian people and continues its support to alleviate the suffering of the residents of Gaza, declared a statement after the summit.
It highlighted the aid the Gulf has been extending to Gaza since 2009.
In 2009, the GCC countries established the “Cooperation Council Program for the Reconstruction of Gaza”. They pledged $1,646,000,000 billion, as well as direct bilateral aid, both in kind and financial, and unofficial aid. The most recent of which was the pledge in October of an additional amount of $100 million for humanitarian efforts, in addition to popular campaigns that mobilized hundreds of millions of US dollars to support the Palestinian people.
The Gulf leaders warned of the danger of the expansion of the Gaza conflict in the region if Israel continues its aggression.
The spillover will have “dire consequences on the peoples of the region and international peace and security,” they added.
They called on the international community to intervene to establish a ceasefire and protect Palestinian civilians, and “take the necessary measures in line with international law to respond to Israel’s practices and its policy of collective punishment against the defenseless residents of Gaza.”
The Supreme Council reiterated its firm stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, demanding an end to the occupation and supporting the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all the occupied Palestinian territories.
It underlined the need for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, guaranteeing the rights of refugees according to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions. The Council stressed the need to double the efforts of the international community to resolve the conflict in a way that fulfills all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Moreover, the Council commended Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts and its initiative in partnership with the Arab League, European Union, Egypt, and Jordan to revive the peace process in accordance with international law, United Nations resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The leaders welcomed the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit hosted by Saudi Arabia on November 11 that was aimed at discussing the situation in Gaza.
They praised the efforts of the ministerial committee formed by the summit with the aim of “formulating an international movement to stop the war on Gaza and exert pressure for a genuine and serious political process to achieve permanent and comprehensive peace, in accordance with the recognized international references.”
The Gulf leaders welcomed the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a guest at the Supreme Council, which witnessed discussions on ways to enhance cooperation between the Gulf and Ankara. They also tackled issues of common interest, particularly the Palestinian issue and the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
The Supreme Council praised the role played by Erdogan and the Turkish government and people for their support for the Palestinian cause and people.
Furthermore, the Council expressed concern about the rising racism and hatred against Arabs and Muslims in several countries, as well as the alarming spread of anti-Islamic discourse, which has created a negative political climate in international relations. They condemned the burning of the Holy Quran and the increasing deliberate attacks on Arabs and Muslims.
The Council emphasized the importance of concerted efforts to confront this phenomenon through political and diplomatic channels.
