Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday called for an end to military operations in besieged Gaza and said he was “pained” to see mass civilian deaths.
Mohammed said a state of Palestine must be established to “achieve lasting peace” in the Middle East. He made the statement at the inaugural summit of Gulf and Southeast Asian leaders in the capital Riyadh. Prince said during his speech:
We stress the need to stop military operations and create conditions to achieve a lasting peace that guarantees the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Riyadh for the first joint summit since the two blocs established relations in 1990.
Bin Salam addressed the leaders of the 10 ASEAN member states, referring to Israel’s two weeks of airstrikes on Gaza following a cross-border raid by Palestinian group Hamas on 7 October:
It pains us as we gather to see the escalating violence that Gaza is witnessing today, for which innocent civilians are paying the price. We affirm our categorical rejection of the targeting of civilians in any way and under any pretext.
Speaking about the Gulf countries’ relations with ASEAN countries, bin Salman noted:
Gulf countries’ exports to ASEAN countries constitute 9% of their total exports.
Prince Mohammed affirmed Saudi Arabia’s advocacy for a peaceful resolution, aiming to secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and establish a just and enduring peace.
Saudi Arabia, which chairs the current session of the Islamic Summit and the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), had called for an urgent extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee at the ministerial level, to discuss the military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings and the worsening conditions that threaten civilians and the security and stability of the region.
