RIYADH: Saudi Arabia slammed Israel after troops shot and killed at least 55 Palestinians and wounded hundreds on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry source expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the deadly attack on unarmed protesters by the Israeli forces of occupation.
The source told the Saudi Press Agency that the international community must shoulder its responsibility for the cessation of violence and protection of the brotherly Palestinian people.
The source also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate rights in accordance with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Israeli troops opened fire as thousands of Palestinians demonstrated along Gaza’s border with the Jewish state, protesting against the official opening on Monday of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem, and calling for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their homes that are now in Israel.
Kuwait, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said it was considering calling for an emergency meeting of the body.
Mansour Al-Otaibi, the Kuwaiti ambassador to the UN, said he was consulting with the Arab Group at the UN and with the Palestinian ambassador to the world body.
The transfer of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was condemned by the 29th Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on April 17.
Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it “strongly rejects and condemns” the White House’s “deplorable action” to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The OIC said it considers the US move an illegal decision and “an attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people.” It added that the move also represents “an affront to international peace and security.”
The OIC said the US administration has “expressed utter disdain and disrespect to Palestinian legitimate rights and international law” and shown disregard toward the sentiments of Muslims, who value Jerusalem as home to one of Islam’s holiest sites, the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
