Saudi Arabia, GCC Condemn Israeli Bombing of UNRWA School

Rubble after the Israeli attack in Gaza (EPA photo)
Rubble after the Israeli attack in Gaza (EPA photo)
TT

Saudi Arabia, GCC Condemn Israeli Bombing of UNRWA School

Rubble after the Israeli attack in Gaza (EPA photo)
Rubble after the Israeli attack in Gaza (EPA photo)

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the Kingdom’s strongest condemnation and denunciation of Israeli forces targeting a school that was sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of several people, including employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The Kingdom stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire, protection of unarmed civilians, and an end to the unprecedented humanitarian disaster that the Gaza Strip is witnessing due to Israeli violations of international laws and norms, SPA reported.
The Kingdom reiterated its complete rejection of targeting relief facilities, organizations, and their workers, stressing the responsibility of the international community to activate mechanisms of international accountability and put an end to these ongoing Israeli violations of international and humanitarian laws

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also expressed his condemnation and denunciation of the UNRWA school bombing.
In a statement, Albudaiwi emphasized the urgent need for the international community to take a firm stance against the Israeli army to halt the continuous and systematic violations against the Palestinian people that have resulted in the tragic loss of tens of thousands of innocent civilian lives.
He said that the deliberate targeting of relief and UN staff represents yet another heinous crime added to the long list of repeated war crimes committed by the Israeli forces in Gaza. He also reiterated the statement made during the 161st GCC ministerial council meeting, held on September 9, firmly rejecting any attempts to justify the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip as self-defense.
He urged the international community to take action to address the unlawful practices of the Israeli government and its policy of collective punishment imposed on the besieged residents of Gaza and the entire Palestinian population.



OIC Welcomes UN Call for ICJ Opinion on Israel's Aid Obligations to Palestinians

OIC Welcomes UN Call for ICJ Opinion on Israel's Aid Obligations to Palestinians
TT

OIC Welcomes UN Call for ICJ Opinion on Israel's Aid Obligations to Palestinians

OIC Welcomes UN Call for ICJ Opinion on Israel's Aid Obligations to Palestinians

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the UN General Assembly approval of a resolution requesting "an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States,” expressing appreciation for the efforts of the Kingdom of Norway and all the countries that co-sponsored and supported the draft resolution, SPA reported.
The OIC emphasized that all plans and measures implemented by the Israeli occupation, including legislation affecting the presence, operations, and immunities of the United Nations and its bodies, such as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), as well as other international organizations and third states in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, constitute a violation of the UN Charter and its relevant resolutions.
“These actions deprive the Palestinian people of essential assistance and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis they are experiencing," said the OIC.
The organization further welcomed the UN General Assembly's adoption of a resolution affirming the “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources.”
The OIC called on all states, international organizations, and UN agencies to work toward ending the Israeli occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the June 4, 1967, borders with Jerusalem as its capital.