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Gulf

Saudi FM: Two-State Solution Basis for Peace, Security in the Region 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah addresses the joint press conference in Brussels on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah addresses the joint press conference in Brussels on Sunday. (SPA)
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Saudi FM: Two-State Solution Basis for Peace, Security in the Region 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah addresses the joint press conference in Brussels on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah addresses the joint press conference in Brussels on Sunday. (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stressed on Sunday that the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would form the foundation for permanent peace and security in the region.

The FM, along with foreign ministers and representatives from European countries, was in Brussels to attend a meeting of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Developments in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting stressed the urgent need to end the Gaza conflict and take necessary steps toward implementing a two-state solution.

Prince Faisal co-chaired the meeting with his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide, in cooperation with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The meeting was a follow up to a previous one for the committee held in Riyadh on April 29.

Speaking at a press conference with his Norwegian counterpart and Borrell, Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia focused during the Riyadh and Brussels meetings on keeping the two-state solution alive.

The international community appears to be reaching a consensus over the solution that guarantees the security and rights of the Palestinian people, he remarked.

Prince Faisal warned that the situation in the Gaza Strip has become “critical”, demanding an immediate ceasefire.

The international community is in agreement on the need to reach a ceasefire and the release of hostage, he went on to say.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly and this is completely unacceptable,” he added.

Furthermore, Prince Faisal praised Norway, Spain and Ireland for recognizing the State of Palestine, noting that some other European countries are also considering such a move.

In addition, he stressed the importance of bolstering state institutions within the Palestinian Authority, which would demonstrate that the Palestinian state has the ability to rise up to its responsibilities in guaranteeing the security of its neighbors.

Prince Faisal said that should the international community uphold international law, including humanitarian laws, then that would send an important signal to Israel that it cannot act with impunity and cannot undermine the Palestine state forever.

Ministers and representatives from Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) attended the Brussels meeting.

It emphasized its support for efforts aimed at achieving an immediate ceasefire, releasing detainees and hostages, and ending the war in Gaza.

It also underscored the importance of addressing all illegal unilateral actions and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including control over the Rafah crossing, as well as tackling the catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Prince Faisal also attended in Brussels a ministerial-level meeting with Arab countries and international partners to support the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa and representatives from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Office of the Quartet regarding Palestine presented a reform plan and assessed the deteriorating economic conditions and humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.

The meeting welcomed the reform plan, with Prince Faisal reiterating the Kingdom’s support for the Palestinian government. He emphasized the importance of removing all obstacles, including those imposed by Israel, and called for lifting the seizure of Palestinian funds and refraining from any measures that hinder the work of the Palestinian government.

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Gulf

Civil Defense: One Killed, Two Injured by Intercepted Houthi Drone Debris in Taif

The attack resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident - SPA
The attack resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident - SPA
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Civil Defense: One Killed, Two Injured by Intercepted Houthi Drone Debris in Taif

The attack resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident - SPA
The attack resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident - SPA

The General Directorate of Civil Defense stated that Civil Defense teams in Taif Governorate responded on Friday to falling debris from the interception and destruction of a drone launched by the terrorist Houthi militia, SPA reported.

The attack resulted in the death of a Yemeni resident, injuries to a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident whose condition is critical, as well as material damage to civilian buildings and vehicles.

The directorate confirmed that standard emergency procedures for such incidents have been implemented.

Gulf

Experts: Houthi Attacks on Islamic Holy Sites Violate International Law

Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Experts: Houthi Attacks on Islamic Holy Sites Violate International Law

Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

The Houthis have continued to target Islamic holy sites, most recently with a drone attack on Makkah, while the Coalition stressed that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques is a red line.” Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that attacks on places of worship constitute a violation of international law.

Tuesday’s targeting of Makkah was not the first such attack. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said it followed an earlier ballistic missile attack in July 2017.

The Coalition stressed that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the Umrah performers is a red line” and that its Joint Forces Command “will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its hostile and terrorist behavior.”

The drone targeting Makkah, intercepted and destroyed by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces south of the city, marked another attack on Islamic holy sites and places of worship. It followed Saturday’s targeting of a mosque in Al-Tuwal governorate in Jazan, as well as an attack launched from Iraqi territory against Madinah.

The Coalition statement said the incident “can only be described as a disgraceful act — an attempt to target the cradle of revelation, the land of the divine message and a destination cherished by millions of Muslims from around the world.”

It said the attack also sought to terrorize pilgrims visiting the Grand Mosque and harm citizens and residents.

“This hostile attempt will remain a black mark on the record of violations committed by the extremist terrorist Houthi militia, as it was a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, while several Arab and Islamic countries and other states in the region and around the world expressed solidarity. They also praised the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces for intercepting the hostile drone before it entered restricted airspace over Makkah.

Violation of International Law

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, including mosques and places of worship, constitutes a war crime in international and non-international armed conflicts, provided they are not military objectives.

Places of worship of cultural or spiritual importance receive additional protection under Article 53 of Additional Protocol I and Article 16 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions. Rule 38 of customary international humanitarian law also requires particular care to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religious purposes.

Deliberate attacks on mosques and places of worship during armed conflict therefore violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes when the sites are not military objectives.

Targeting Regional Security

Dr. Khaled Al-Habbas, former Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs, told Asharq Al-Awsat that attacks on the Kingdom by Iran-aligned militias underscored what he described as their functional role as proxies directed by the Revolutionary Guard Corps to destabilize regional security and stability.

Given Saudi Arabia’s regional and international standing and influence, its spiritual and economic importance, its position as a strategic depth for Gulf states and at the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, Al-Habbas argued that Iran had sought to target the Kingdom through its regional proxies.

Such attacks, he maintained, amounted to targeting the security and stability of the entire region and, beyond that, regional and international security.

‘Aggression Against the Islamic World’

Al-Habbas stressed that the escalation came amid a decline in Iran’s regional role, including its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz. He described the conduct and aggression of its proxies against the Kingdom as evidence of disregard for good-neighborly relations, international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Attacks on holy sites, he added, constituted a serious violation of their sanctity and “blatant aggression against all Islamic countries” that required condemnation and action.

“Despite the Kingdom’s consistent approach of de-escalation and support for a political settlement, it certainly has the right to defend its security and stability,” Al-Habbas said, calling on Arab and Islamic countries to confront what he described as the arrogance and aggression of Iran and its proxies.

He also urged the international community to take a firm stance against the militias, arguing that regional security was inseparable from international security because of the region’s geostrategic and economic importance.

Political analyst Abdul Latif Al-Mulhim described such attacks as a continuation of what he called the Houthis’ systematic hostile approach and attacks targeting residential areas and vital facilities, in flagrant defiance of international and humanitarian laws and conventions.

He argued that the attacks reflected the group’s extremist criminal conduct, its rejection of all peace efforts and a threat to regional and international security and stability.

International Responsibility

Al-Habbas and Al-Mulhim agreed that the attacks, coinciding with the militia’s control of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and its imposition of restrictions on maritime navigation, offered the world and the international community a clear indication of the conduct to be expected from the group if it continued such practices.

They warned of an imminent threat to the region’s security and economic future if the international community delayed fulfilling its responsibilities in combating the group’s actions.

Gulf

Arab and Islamic Condemnations Follow Houthi Targeting of Makkah

An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
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Arab and Islamic Condemnations Follow Houthi Targeting of Makkah

An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)

The Houthi targeting of Makkah has drawn widespread condemnation across the Arab and Islamic world, with governments and religious institutions denouncing the attack and expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Türkiye, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon and Egypt joined the condemnation, with Al-Azhar and the Arab Parliament also denouncing the targeting of the holy city and stressing the need to respect its sanctity.

The statements described the targeting of Makkah as a grave escalation and a violation of the city’s religious sanctity, while reaffirming support for efforts to protect the holy sites and prevent further threats to regional security.

The statements also condemned the attack, calling for a firm international response to attempts to threaten the security of Makkah and the safety of worshippers, and underscoring the need to preserve the sanctity of the holy sites.