RIYADH: Abdulaziz Al-Wasel, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, has urged General Assembly members to participate in an international conference, organized by Saudi Arabia and France, to resolve the Palestinian issue.

Al-Wasel said during a speech at the UN General Assembly’s emergency session on Palestine on Thursday that the Saudi-French conference was taking place in June in New York.

He called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and welcomed the deal between Israel and Lebanon that ended the year-long armed conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces in November.

The UN held an emergency session to discuss the urgent support needed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to enhance humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The Saudi ambassador to the UN said that the arbitrary use of the veto and the selective application of international law had contributed to the ongoing genocide and the escalation of Israeli crimes in Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He stressed the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza and expressed the Kingdom’s support for the ceasefire deal in Lebanon while condemning Israeli violations of it.

Al-Wasel said that Saudi Arabia supported the Palestinian people and their rights to an independent state based on the Arab Peace Initiative and UN resolutions.

He condemned Israeli airstrikes which had taken place on Syrian territory since Sunday following the collapse of the Assad regime in Damascus, according to the SPA.

He added that Israeli actions undermined Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability, and territorial integrity, as well as its rights in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.