Since the beginning of the conflict, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times
world4 days ago
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon at a joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit on Monday.
Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war and regional escalation, in what is seen as a chance to send a message to US president-elect Donald Trump.
Opening the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the international community must "immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon", condemning Israel's campaign in Gaza as "genocide".
Saudi Arabia "affirms its support for the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the ongoing Israeli aggression," he said.
A draft resolution for the summit stresses "firm support" for "national rights" for the Palestinian people, "foremost among which is their right to freedom and to an independent, sovereign state".
Just hours earlier, newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was not "realistic" to establish a Palestinian state, dismissing it as a "Hamas state".
"I don't think this position is realistic today and we must be realistic," Saar said in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that the country was suffering an "existential" crisis and hit out at countries meddling in its internal affairs — a thinly veiled swipe at Iran.
Countries should stop "interfering in its internal affairs by supporting this or that group, but rather support Lebanon as a state and entity", Mikati said.
The Saudi foreign ministry announced plans for the summit in late October during a meeting, also in Riyadh, of a new "international alliance" to press for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Trump's election last week for a second term in the White House is likely to be on the leaders' minds, said Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst for the International Crisis Group think tank.
"This summit is very much an opportunity for regional leaders to signal to the incoming Trump administration what they want in terms of US engagement," she said.
The war in Gaza began with Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year, which resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 43,600 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, began firing on Israel after the October 7 attack. The regular cross-border exchanges escalated in late September when Israel intensified its air strikes and sent ground troops into southern Lebanon.
Despite criticism of the impact Israel's military campaign has had on Gaza civilians, outgoing US President Joe Biden ensured that Washington remained Israel's most important military backer during more than a year of fighting.
In his first term, Trump's actions showed him as an even firmer supporter of Israel. He defied international consensus by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving Washington's embassy there.
He also endorsed Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
Under the Abraham Accords, Trump oversaw the establishment of Israeli diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as Morocco.
Though Saudi Arabia did not join those agreements, Trump cultivated warm ties with the Gulf kingdom while in office and has deepened his business connections to the region during the Biden years.
The 57-member OIC and 22-member Arab League include countries which recognise Israel and those firmly opposed to its regional integration.
A similar summit last year in Riyadh saw disagreement on measures like severing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel and disrupting its oil supplies.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times
world4 days ago
Super Heavy unexpectedly splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning to land
world4 days ago
The 19-year-old dreamt of competing abroad, and said she wanted to be like Ronaldo and Messi
world4 days ago
Hochstein's mission marks a last-ditch attempt by the outgoing US administration to clinch a ceasefire as diplomacy to end the Gaza war appears totally adrift
world5 days ago
This will be his first visit since the beginning of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia around three years ago
world5 days ago
The changes state that any conventional attack on Russia, aided by a nuclear power, could be considered to be a joint attack
world5 days ago
The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world6 days ago
This time around, Trump wants the Senate to give up that gatekeeping role and allow him to make 'recess appointments'
world6 days ago