Saudi condemns Israelis attack on ‘defenseless’ Palestinians

CHICAGO: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Saturday condemned Israel’s “crimes” and “barbaric practices” against “defenseless civilians” in the Gaza Strip during his speech to the UN General Assembly.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan accused Israel of creating a “real humanitarian catastrophe” that is “continuing to get worse.”

He lauded the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem is illegal under international and humanitarian law.

Prince Faisal urged the UN to recognize Palestine as a full member, saying: “We welcome the adoption by the General Assembly on May 10, 2024, of a resolution that states that the state of Palestine fulfills all the conditions to become a fully fledged member state of our organization, and we welcome the decision of Norway, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Armenia, who have recognized the brotherly country of Palestine.”

He added: “We call upon other states to bilaterally recognize the state of Palestine, and to act together in order to recognize the state of Palestine as an independent state.”

Israel’s actions continue despite Saudi efforts to “stop the bloodshed, to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, and to realize the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people,” including an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Prince Faisal said.

“We categorically reject all crimes perpetrated by Israel against the kindred Palestinian people. The most recent crimes committed against civilians, defenseless civilians, is just one chapter in the story of suffering by this brotherly people who have been suffering for decades now,” he added.

READ ALSO:

• Government can’t subsidise cost of passports – Minister
• BREAKING: FG declares Tuesday public holiday to celebrate 64th Independence
• Tinubu makes new appointments

Israel’s “barbaric” practices since last year have “cost the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, in particular women and children,” he said.

“We’re seeing bombing, murder and destruction. This is a real humanitarian catastrophe and it’s continuing to get worse. It’s necessary to halt this aggression.”

Saudi Arabia has provided $5 billion to the people of Gaza in the past year, and is working with different UN agencies to raise a total of $106 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian aid, Prince Faisal said.

The Kingdom is working with UN ministerial committees, Norway and the EU to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians on the basis of the two-state solution, he added.

Saudi Arabia is also working to “fight against the financing of terrorism” by cooperating with international partners, he said.

The Kingdom is working to bring peace to the region by resuming relations with Syria, pushing to resolve the Yemen crisis, and striving for peace and stability in Sudan, Prince Faisal said, adding that his country is preparing to host the third round of Sudanese peace talks in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia has restored diplomatic relations with Iran “based on the respect of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, and also on respect of the UN Charter,” he said.

“We hope that Iran will cooperate with the international community, in particular vis-a-vis its nuclear program and its ballistic missile program.”

A priority for Saudi Arabia is to continue to “fulfill the needs of future generations, to empower women and youth, and to build bridges with the world,” Prince Faisal said, adding that the Kingdom is addressing major world issues such as climate change.

Last September, Saudi Arabia created an international organization to address water resource challenges, he said.

The Kingdom, which was chosen to host Expo 2030, will use the forum “to focus on the (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals,” Prince Faisal said, adding that the event is “an opportunity to find political solutions when it comes to sustainability, and also to honor our commitments to developing countries.”

He said: “We hope that the efforts being made will enable us to establish a common principle with mutual respect to build a better future for the whole of humanity.”

Saudi condemns Israelis attack on ‘defenseless’ Palestinians

ARAB NEWS

Many killed, 100 wounded as Israel airstrikes hit Beirut

BEIRUT/DUBAI/LONDON: A series of Israeli airstrikes rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday evening, erasing a residential block in the Haret Hreik neighborhood and reverberating across the Lebanese capital, rattling windows and sending a thick plume of dark smoke into the sky.

The Israeli army’s spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed the “precise strikes” hit the central headquarters of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, believed to be located beneath residential buildings, the AP news agency reported.

The blasts caused nationwide panic and plunged the surrounding area into chaos. Paramedics from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Authority rushed to the scene alongside relatives of the buildings’ residents.

Others in the southern suburbs rushed into their cars and fled towards Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that “some of the targeted buildings were inhabited.”

At least two people have been killed, and hospitals in the area received more than 50 wounded from nearby buildings, including three in critical condition. Rescue teams urgently appealed for blood donations.

The Lebanese state-run National News Agency said six tall buildings in Haret Hreik have been reduced to rubble in the biggest blast to hit the capital in the past year.

Targeting Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, who was suspected to be in a bunker underneath the buildings, the Israeli military used F-35 aircraft and dropped 2,000 tons of explosives on the area, according to Israeli media.

Mohanad Hage Ali, the deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, told Arab News that “Israel has moved from the precision killings phase into dynamite or blast fishing; the end justifies the means.”

READ ALSO:

• Halt Mideast crisis now, Saudi urges UN Security Council
• Israel will continue attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Netanyahu tells UN
• Igbo politicians have become mere breadwinners – Obidigbo

“They can kill hundreds to reach a target,” he continued. “This is why it is more likely a high-value target was there (in the targeted block) – this is why they (the Israeli military) took the decision.”

Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 initially reported an on-screen headline saying Nasrallah was “harmed,” but quickly followed with Israeli assessments indicating he is dead.

However, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that a security source confirmed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and the group’s executive council head, Hashim Safi Al-Din, were unharmed.

Iran’s embassy in Beirut described the Israeli strike as a “serious escalation that changes the rules of the game,” threatening that there will be repercussions.

“The Israeli regime once again commits a bloody massacre, targeting heavily populated residential neighborhoods while spewing false justifications to try and cover up its brutal crimes,” the embassy wrote on the social platform X.

“There is no doubt that this reprehensible crime and reckless behavior represent a serious escalation that changes the rules of the game, and that its perpetrator will be punished appropriately.”

Analysts believe the strike on Haret Hreik reflects Israel’s dismissal of traditional wartime norms, marking the start of a new phase in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

“Such a strike signals a disregard for the limitations typically observed in warfare, including proportionality and ethical considerations as it is a civil populated area as Tel Aviv a city with military basis,” Rafe Jabari, a researcher on the political sociology of Arab states, told Arab News.

 “The scale of the destruction implies that the Israeli government is not constrained by these principles of International Law,” he added.

Jabari also believes “the strategy being employed suggests that Israel believes that war is the solution to end further conflict.”

He explained that “airstrikes are the strategic weapons used by Israel before the invasion of the Lebanese territories as happened in the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli army is using destruction and terrors to eliminate any opposition to its occupation and colonization policy.”

“However, this approach is wrong,” Jabari continued. “Rather than achieving lasting peace, the continuation of such military actions is likely to provoke further instability and insecurity across the region.”

“Instead of bringing about an end to hostilities, this escalation will fuel the conditions for more wars and destruction in the future including this one.”

READ ALSO:

• Nigeria, UAE seal flight rights deal ahead of Emirates return
• Igbo politicians have become mere breadwinners – Obidigbo43 killed as Hurricane Helene ruins southeast US
• Four journalists remanded for alleged false publication against GTB boss

Likewise, Beirut-based political analyst Nader Ezzedine said: “By targeting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, regardless of the outcome, Israel has chosen to break all established conflict rules and red lines that had been observed in its previous wars with Hezbollah.”

He told Arab News that “whether the outcome of this strike results in Nasrallah’s death or his survival, it will have significant ramifications for the conflict.”

“Hezbollah initially tried to adhere to certain rules in the hopes that an agreement can be reached to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon,” he added. “However, after this strike, I no longer believe this war will have any rules or limits.”

However, Ezzeddine believes that while the strike may have dealt a significant blow to Hezbollah and undermined its fighters’ morale, “it will not end the war but will likely intensify the fighting even further.”

“This strike will not end the conflict if Israel aimed to do so by killing Nasrallah,” he said. “Instead, it will certainly cause a huge escalation.”

He also expects this strike to be followed by an Israeli ground invasion, while Hezbollah may escalate its attacks against Israel.

Middle East expert Jabari noted that “we are witnessing an open war worse than the one in 2006. The Israeli army and government are choosing weapons as a means of negotiation instead of political and diplomatic endeavors.”

On Wednesday, Sep. 25, Israel’s military chief Herzi Halevi told troops that its airstrikes in Lebanon aimed to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure to pave the way for a possible ground incursion, CNN reported.

These comments came after the Israeli army intercepted a missile that Hezbollah said it had shot at the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi, who reportedly led the group’s missile and rocket force.

Reports of Friday’s strikes came less than an hour after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the UN General Assembly, in which he vowed to continue his military operation in Lebanon despite a US ceasefire proposal demanding a 21-day pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon, which it says aims to eliminate Hezbollah, has killed within a few days 720 Lebanese people, many of them women and children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Since October 8, after Israel launched its onslaught on Palestine’s Gaza Strip, Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging cross-border fire. But in the last week, Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon, claiming the goal is to end Hezbollah’s 11 months of attacks on its territory.

Many killed, 100 wounded as Israel airstrikes hit Beirut

ARAB NEWS

Halt Mideast crisis now, Saudi urges UN Security Council

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to get its act together and find a way to stop the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from widening further.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting in New York, Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat lamented that despite the successive resolutions passed by the General Assembly, there is no end in sight to the

“catastrophic  humanitarian situation” the people of Gaza are facing.

Prince Faisal made the plea as fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah continued to escalate, with Israel expanding its air strikes to the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, while Hezbollah targeting key Israeli facilities with missiles.

He faulted members of the council for being quick to use the veto rather than find consensus to resolve the Gaza crisis. He noted that since last October there were six draft resolutions where the veto was used out of ten.

READ ALSO:

• 43 killed as Hurricane Helene ruins southeast US
• Four journalists remanded for alleged false publication against GTB boss
• Reps summon EFCC chair, VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky over bribery allegations

Even then, he said, the resolutions that were adopted failed to achieve a ceasefire, failed to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation, and failed to pave the way for a creditable political path towards peace.

Last March, Russia and China vetoed a US-proposed resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal. Other resolutions saw the US objecting and Britain abstaining.

In the 15-member Security Council, the permanent members — Britain China, France, Russia and the US — are entitled to a special voting power known as the ‘”right to veto.” A veto could defeat a resolution even if it is supported by a majority of the council members.

“What does the UNSC need to end the suffering, to implement international law?,” Prince Faisal said. “It is clear there is a widening gap between international consensus and divides within the Security Council, which undermine its performance.”

Prince Faisal cited the General Assembly for passing successive resolutions that reflected what countries where calling for: the urgent need for a ceasefire, providing humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip without interruption, and the right of Palestinians to self determination,

“We value the resolution of the General Assembly that recognized the eligibility of Palestine for full membership at the UN, by virtue of which Palestine received additional privileges, as well as the latest resolutions that called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory, he said.

Halt Mideast crisis now, Saudi urges UN Security Council