Saudi crown prince demands ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon at Arab summit

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon at a joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit on Monday, which will renew calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war and regional escalation, in what is seen as an opportunity to send a message to US President-elect Donald Trump.

Opening the summit, Salman said the international community must “immediately halt 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 the “national rights” of the Palestinian people, “foremost among which is their right to freedom and 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.

Salman also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving ties between Saudi Arabia and its former regional rival.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that the country was suffering an “existential” crisis and criticised 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.
‘Calling out’ Israel

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 senior Gulf analyst Anna Jacobs from 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 7th October 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, which the United Nations considers reliable.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, began firing on Israel after the 7th October attack. 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.

Abraham Accords

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, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Though Saudi Arabia did not join those agreements, Trump cultivated warm ties with the Gulf kingdom during his tenure and deepened his business connections to the region during the Biden years.

The 57-member OIC and 22-member Arab League include countries that recognise Israel and those firmly opposed to its regional integration.

A similar summit last year in Riyadh saw disagreement on measures such as severing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel and disrupting its oil supplies.

AFP