DUBAI: Several Arab states have expressed solidarity with Palestine amidst escalating violence in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza and the West Bank due to Israel’s military operations against militants in the occupied territory.
Saudi Arabia for one is leading Arab group meetings at the UN regarding the situation between Palestine and Israel, state news agency SPA reported.
The Kingdom’s permanent representative at the UN Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi met with the President of the General Assembly Volkan Bozkir to highlight the recent Israeli attacks, the report said.
Al-Mouallimi also met with the China’s permanent representative to the global body, the report added.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold a virtual foreign ministers meeting on Sunday at the request of Saudi Arabia to discuss Israel’s aggression in the Palestinian territories and its acts of violence in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa mosque.
The UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan also expressed his concern over the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine.
“The UAE is alarmed by the escalating spiral of violence in Israel and Palestine. We express our condolences to all victims of the recent fighting, and join others in calling for an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities,” he said.
“The UAE calls on all parties to take immediate steps to commit to a ceasefire, initiate a political dialogue, and exercise maximum restraint.”
“The events of the past week have been a somber reminder of the urgent need for peaceful dialogue and reconciliation. We reflect on the promise that the Abraham Accords hold for current and future generations, to live with their neighbors in peace, dignity and prosperity,” his statement read.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a telephone call between the two, also affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state, Iraqi news agency INA reported.
“The two sides affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state on their land with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, and rejected the Israeli aggression,” the report added.
The Iraqi leader’s expression of support was reflected on the streets of Baghdad as residents, holding Iraqi and Palestinian flags, gathered to condemn the Israeli attacks against “defenseless Palestinians” and “the violation of Islamic sanctities in the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the report added.
The Tunisian Presidency also issued a statement supporting Palestinians and their right to peace and an independent state.
The presidency denounced “the provocations and violations committed by the occupation forces in the precincts of the holy places and which have already caused several ‘innocent’ victims,” Tunisian state agency TAP reported.
