RIYADH (AFP) : Arab and Muslim leaders concluded a landmark summit in Riyadh on Monday with a unified demand for Israel to withdraw from all occupied Palestinian territories, calling it a prerequisite for regional peace.
The meeting, hosted by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, served as a definitive moment of solidarity against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The summit’s closing statement called for a return to the pre-1967 borders, referencing UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offered Israel normalized relations in exchange for a two-state solution.
The leaders of 57 nations emphasized the urgent need for a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and called for an internationally sponsored plan with specific steps and timelines to achieve this.
Condemning Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the statement described them as “horrific and shocking crimes” amounting to genocide. The war, which began over a year ago with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, has left more than 43,600 Palestinians dead, the majority civilians, according to UN-verified figures.
Hamas responded by urging Arab and Muslim nations to translate their pledges into concrete actions, demanding immediate efforts to halt Israeli aggression.
“The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital would require more immediate efforts and practical solutions to force (Israel) to stop its aggression and genocide against our people,” Hamas said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, dismissed the prospect of Palestinian statehood, calling it not “realistic”.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich later Monday vowed to push for annexation of parts of the West Bank in 2025.
The summit marked a unified stance by Arab and Muslim leaders against the ongoing occupation and violence, underscoring the demand for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue as a cornerstone for peace in the region.
Ceasefire call
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, began firing on Israel after the October 7 attack, in stated support of its Palestinian ally.
The regular cross-border exchanges escalated in late September. Israel has intensified its air strikes and later sent ground troops into southern Lebanon.
Addressing Monday’s summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the world must “immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon” and condemned Israel’s campaign in Gaza as “genocide”.
MBS also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving ties between Riyadh and its regional rival Tehran.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that his country was suffering an “existential” crisis and hit out at countries meddling in its internal affairs — a thinly veiled swipe at Iran.
A ‘signal’ to Trump
Trump’s election last week for a second term in the White House was likely on 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.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said in his remarks that “the world is waiting” for Trump “to immediately stop the war against the innocent people of Gaza and Lebanon”.
The final statement included a call for a ban on the export and transfer of weapons to Israel.
Despite criticism of the impact Israel’s military campaign has had on Gaza civilians, outgoing US President Joe Biden has ensured that Washington remains Israel’s most important military backer during more than a year of fighting.
In his first term, Trump defied international consensus with a series of moves praised by the Israeli government but condemned by Palestinians.
He recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US embassy there, and endorsed Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
