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Saudi Arabia leads condemnation of Israeli attacks on Rafah

Sulaiman Umar
27 May, 2024
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned the Israeli attacks on Rafah, the latest of which was the targeting of tents of displaced Palestinians near the warehouses of UNRWA that killed at least 45 people, mostly children and women.

The foreign ministry, in a statement on social media X, also affirmed the Kingdom’s rejection of the blatant violations by the Israeli occupation forces of all international and humanitarian laws.

It also called on the international community to intervene immediately.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is completely unacceptable.

Prince Faisal stressed that the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains the foundation for permanent peace and security in the region.

He also noted that there are several European countries planning to officially recognize the State of Palestine to follow Spain, Ireland and Norway, in an attempt to implement the two-state solution.

Jordan also strongly condemned the “ongoing war crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza,” particularly the ‘latest incident involved the bombing of a refugee camp near the UNRWA headquarters in western Rafah.

“This act defies the rulings of the International Court of Justice and constitutes a severe violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” a statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry said.

Jordan reiterates its ‘unequivocal condemnation of these actions’, embassy spokesperson Sufian Qudah said.

Qudah described them as blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, contravening all human and moral values.

These actions were war crimes that the international community must confront, ensuring accountability for those responsible, he said, calling for an immediate and effective international action to hold Israel accountable for its practices and violations.

Qudah urged the international community to “stop Israel’s continuous breaches of international law and international humanitarian law, to ensure the protection of unarmed civilians in Gaza, and to safeguard aid organizations and their staff, particularly UNRWA.”

Turkiye will ‘do everything possible’ to hold ‘barbaric’ Israel to account over Rafah strikes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

“We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable who have nothing to do with humanity,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said he was “outraged” over Israel’s latest strikes on Rafah that killed dozens of displaced persons.

“These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” Macron said on social network X.

Kuwait similarly condemned the “Israeli occupation’s aggression on Rafah’s displaced people’s tents, killing tens including women and children.”

In a statement, the foreign ministry asserted that the Israeli occupation’s actions against

Palestinians “exposes its blatant war crimes and unprecedented genocide to the whole world.”

Kuwait called for an “immediate and firm intervention by the international community to compel these forces into adhering to international legitimacy resolutions, including International Justice Court resolution on immediately ceasing aggression against Rafah, and protecting the Palestinian people.”

The United Arab Emirates also condemned what it said was Israel targeting tents of displaced people in Rafah.

The UAE stressed the importance of implementing the ICJ's ruling that demanded Israel immediately halt its military operations in Rafah, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued separate statements condemning the continuous Israeli aggression’ on the UN Relief Works Agency refugee camps in Rafah.”

“We present this new crime to the international courts to reinforce the evidences to pin these war crimes and indict them,” the Arab League’s Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit said.

OIC Secretary General Hussein Taha meanwhile said the organization was holding the Israeli occupation responsible for its atrocious crimes against Palestinians, and its practices that go against humanitarian principles and violate international law.

The Arab Parliament also strongly condemned the brutal massacre committed by Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian civilians, state news agency SPA reported.

The parliament expressed concern over the actions of the Israeli occupation forces, emphasizing that they have violated laws, norms, international resolutions, and legitimate principles that demand an immediate end to aggression, the statement said.

The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month.

Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled. Footage from the scene of the largest airstrike showed heavy destruction. Israel’s army confirmed the strike and said it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants. It said it was investigating reports that civilians were harmed.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Rafah on Sunday and was briefed on the “deepening of operations” there, his office said.

culled from Arab News