Muscat, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the GCC Ministerial Council discussed recent developments in the Gaza Strip and the scale of repercussions and major events resulting from the latest escalation.
Albudaiwi’s remarks came during his participation in the 43rd Extraordinary Session of the GCC Ministerial Council for the GCC foreign ministers Tuesday, October 17, 2023, in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
He stated that the Ministerial Council discussed developments in the Palestinian territories amid the escalation of violence and indiscriminate shelling of residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death and injury of thousand of civilians and innocents, as well as Israel’s intentions to invade the enclave and displace civilians. The Council also discussed the urgent and serious challenges facing the region as a result of the recent developments, he added.
The GCC Secretary General affirmed the positions of the GCC countries, which place the Palestinian cause as a top priority, stressing that it has been a constant focus of the GCC since the beginning of the Council’s journey four decades ago. Moreover, he stressed the GCC member states’ belief in the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, underscoring their adherence to their position calling for the implementation of international resolutions. Furthermore, he stated that GCC stances are firm in support of the Palestinian people and oppose repeated violations by the Israeli authorities.
Additionally, he held the Israeli authorities fully legally responsible before the international community for the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip. He stated that the violations committed by Israeli authorities against innocent Palestinians, in full view of the international community, can no longer be ignored.
Once again, he called on the international community to swiftly intervene, work to protect the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, demand an immediate halt to all forms of military escalation against defenseless civilians in Gaza, provide the necessary relief and medicine needs for the citizens there, lift the siege, and emphasize the necessity of evacuating the injured and adhering to international and humanitarian laws. He said it also should categorically reject any calls to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from Gaza, as this represents a violation of basic human rights and international principles.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Secretary General stressed that the GCC stand in support of the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people and continues its determination to find a just and comprehensive solution that will put an end to this ongoing conflict by enabling the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate rights. He called once again to resolve this issue by establishing an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Source: Saudi Press Agency