Tue Nov 12 13:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Arab and Muslim Leaders Demand Israel’s Withdrawal from Occupied Territories
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Arab and Muslim leaders have issued a unified call for Israel’s complete withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, as a precondition for regional peace. This demand was made at a summit in Riyadh attended by the 57 member nations of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The summit, held just days after Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, condemned what it called “horrific and shocking crimes” committed by the Israeli army in Gaza, labeling them as “genocide.” The leaders reiterated calls for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, drawing upon UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offered normalized ties with Israel in return for a two-state solution.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, echoed the call for a Palestinian state and urged Arab and Muslim nations to translate their pledges into concrete actions to force Israel to halt its “aggression and genocide” against the Palestinian people.
However, the hard-right Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains opposed to Palestinian statehood. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the prospect as “not realistic,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed to push for annexation of parts of the West Bank in 2025.
The summit’s final statement included a call for an immediate halt to Israeli actions against Palestinians and Lebanese, and a ban on the export and transfer of weapons to Israel. The leaders also expressed concern over Iran’s interference in Lebanon.
The summit was widely seen as an opportunity for regional leaders to signal their priorities to the incoming Trump administration. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref called on Trump to immediately stop the war against the innocent people of Gaza and Lebanon.
The summit comes after over a year of escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The violence has resulted in thousands of casualties, mostly civilians.
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