New York: Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, has called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution compelling Israel to end its war on Gaza. Alwasil emphasized the need for Tel Aviv to comply with existing Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of aid to Gaza.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting chaired by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Alwasil stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, must respect international law, including the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures to halt the genocide against Palestinians. He criticized the Security Council’s inaction since the war began ten months ago, noting that "meeting after meeting to no avail" has allowed Israel to continue its assault on Gaza.
Alwasil highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis, saying, “The Israeli war machine deliberately targets civilians and imposes the harshest forms of collective punishment by killing, displacing, starving, and imposing a blockade on civilians.”
He condemned the international community’s silence, which he argued has emboldened Israel to continue its "inhumane, violent practices unabated."
He attributed the Security Council’s failure to stop the war to the “short-sighted, selfish political interests” of its members, which have hindered decisive action. Alwasil reported that the war has resulted in 38,000 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries, mostly affecting women and children.
“How can such a forced displacement that is recurrent in Gaza be justified? How can we stay silent in the face of this systematic starvation and deliberative blockade? How can the international community stand idly while a major humanitarian catastrophe is taking place before our eyes?” Alwasil asked.
He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinian right to self-determination and the establishment of a state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions. This, he stated, would “ensure comprehensive justice (and) peace.”