Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman referred to recent attacks on Gaza by Israel as “genocide” of Palestinian people in an address recently presented to a gathering of Muslim and Arab leaders. Speaking at an Arab Islamic summit, he further underlined the firm stance of Saudi Arabia against these attacks and urged the international community for a proper robust response.
In this summit, Crown Prince Mohammed, Saudi’s de facto leader with considerable influence in the kingdom, reiterated his country’s position regarding the Palestinian issue, “The Kingdom renews its condemnation and categorical rejection of the genocide committed by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people.” His words reflected an earlier statement by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud — which reflects a solidly unified front among the kingdom’s leadership.
Saudi Stance on Normalization with Israel: No Recognition Without Palestinian Statehood
The Crown Prince pointed out that Saudi Arabia would not entertain diplomatic recognition of Israel without a Palestinian state, restating his position from September. The Crown Prince has added a layer of complication to normal relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel under normalization orchestrated by the United States.
The U.S., particularly under President Joe Biden’s administration, had long urged a peace accord between Saudi Arabia and Israel that would include security guarantees for the kingdom, among other bilateral agreements. However, it was those normalization talks that were brought to an abrupt halt when violence escalated in October 2023 with Hamas attacks on Israel from Gaza sparking a ferocious response from Israel.
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Calls for a UN Response and Sanctions
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit commented on a drastic move in response to the development, that Israel’s membership in the UNGA must be frozen. “Such a resolution can be done through a UNGA majority vote, which would have no jurisdiction on the part of the Security Council,” he said. “We might soon witness the freezing of Israel’s membership through a UNGA majority decision,” he added.
The final declaration of the summit also requested all nations to end weapons sales and military assistance to Israel. This declared that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should issue arrest warrants against the civilian and military leaders of Israel who were involved in the actions against the Palestinians, perhaps a new twist in the international legal reaction to the conflict.
Humanitarian Crisis and Allegations of Genocide
The recent violence in Gaza has caused grave humanitarian suffering. Military action by Israel in the past 13 months has reportedly resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths displaced nearly all the population of Gaza and created a severe food crisis. Charges of genocide against Israel have been filed at the World Court, which Israel has vehemently rejected.
These developments, aside from the actions that were taken, raise concern and skepticism as to the prospects of a real, lasting change. I believe that these international summits only produce transitory periods of unity and forceful declarations, although it is uncertain whether more meaningful action will be taken. Paper calls to freeze Israel’s membership in the UNGA or sanctions against arms supplies would be important documents on paper but would require broad international support to implement effectively, which has proven elusive in the past.
What Could Happen Next?
This is pretty much a complex and sensitive political situation. Many would like to know if the positioning of the Saudi Crown Prince will affect the positions of other leaders in the region and whether his very vociferous condemnation of Israel would orient broader Middle Eastern policies. Further, I think this situation might lead to more countries questioning their stance on arms exports to conflict zones, which could have far-reaching implications beyond this conflict alone.
As the situation continues, hope does not come from heightened violence but perhaps one day soon dialogue with each other will allow Israelis and Palestinians to move forward. The world will keenly watch these months to see how such efforts in diplomacy will play out.
Minutes by M31GlobalNews
