JEDDAH — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed the necessity of lifting the blockade and establishing humanitarian corridors in the Gaza Strip. "Saudi Arabia has repeatedly warned of the danger of worsening the situation in Gaza and the international community must take a responsible stance to protect the Palestinians in the Strip," he said while chairing the emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah Wednesday. The emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of OIC at the foreign ministers' level was convened at the request of Saudi Arabia, which chairs the current presidency of the 57-member pan Islamic organization. Prince Faisal underscored the necessity of delivering aid to Gaza to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. The minister noted that the OIC meeting is convened, in the backdrop of the tragic and violent developments that are taking place in the region, to examine the dangerous situation due to the military escalation in the Gaza Strip. He reiterated the Kingdom's categorical rejection of the repeated and increasing attacks by the Israeli occupation forces, despite calls for an immediate halt to the military actions, the victims of which are unarmed civilians, including children, women, and the elderly. "Our values and principles, which are dictated to us by our true Islamic religion, prohibit killing oneself unlawfully, terrorizing the unharmed, and attacking children, women, and the elderly." Prince Faisal stressed the Kingdom's repeated warning of the danger of worsening the situation, its unforeseen repercussions, and the creation of fertile ground that fuels extremism, exacerbates violence, and expands the scope of the crisis. "The recent painful developments have shown that avoiding this requires the international community to take a responsible stance by providing protection for Palestinian civilians, and the necessity of adhering to international humanitarian law without selectivity or double standards, including rejecting forced displacement and lifting the siege on Gaza and stop targeting infrastructure and vital interests." The Saudi minister stressed the need for a serious and joint effort to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and limit the increasing suffering in Gaza, by demanding the evacuation of the injured, and opening humanitarian corridors that allow the access to aid, medical equipment and medicines so as to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, with a focus on efforts towards calming the situation and restoring stability. Prince Faisal stressed the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state and implementing the international legitimacy resolutions in this respect. He also renewed Saudi Arabia's commitment to peace as a strategic option to get out of the cycle of violence and suffering. "Our position, in support of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is to demand that the international community assume its responsibilities in implementing the international legitimacy resolutions, and creating the appropriate conditions to restore the path of peace in a way that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and leads to a just and lasting peace that contributes to achieving regional and international peace and security." He said that the Kingdom will continue close coordination with its brothers and partners in the international community to end this crisis, in a way that meets the aspirations of the leaders and peoples of Islamic countries, and guarantees the Palestinian people their legitimate rights to a decent life, in light of a just and sustainable peace. In his speech, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to an unprecedented genocide. He said that the attack on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening was a deliberate Israeli attack. "Israel had bombed the Baptist Hospital two days ago and warned the doctors. Israel committed a massacre against patients and defenseless civilians by bombing the hospital in Gaza," he said. Al-Maliki said that the Israeli war machine had killed more than 1,300 children and displaced a million Palestinians within one week. "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the conflict as one between the sons of light and darkness in order to justify the killing," the minister said while asserting that everyone who gave Israel a mandate and supported it with weapons is responsible for the blood of the people of Gaza. The Palestinian minister slammed the international community, saying that it does nothing but "count the number of victims in Gaza. "The international community is content with counting the victims in Gaza indifferently," he said. While unequivocally rejecting the Israeli displacement policy, Al-Maliki emphasized the need to stop the aggressive war and the ferocious settlement campaign. It is noteworthy that since last Oct. 7, Israel has imposed a siege on the densely populated Gaza Strip, closing all crossings, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and goods, and cutting off electricity and water. Saudi Arabia, chairman of the current session of the Islamic Summit and Executive Committee of OIC has called for an urgent extraordinary meeting of the committee at the ministerial level, to discuss the military escalation in Gaza and the worsening conditions that threaten civilians as well as the security and stability of the region.
